I'll Never Stop Fighting (For Us)
by OnceUponAHPFan
Summary: Emma Swan has defeated the Dark Fairy and fulfilled her destiny, but life moves on and darkness never is too far away. When the Dark One emerges once more to seek revenge, it is up to Emma, Killian, and the rest of the Charming family to keep their new kingdom from collapse and their own family intact. Canon divergence after 6x22.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or any of their characters.**

Prologue

Emma scanned the streets of Storybrooke, taking in the sights one last time. She tried memorizing the streets, shops, and that infamous clocktower from which their spell spilled. And she tried to keep out the screams of the terrified residents that fled the Dark One.

She instinctively held on to Killian, who had wrapped his arms around her as they watched their work envelop the town.

They would not inflict the Dark One's vengeance on the Land-Without-Magic.

She looked around one last time in Killian's arms and saw a stonefaced Henry, clutching his author's pen and storybook, Regina at his side. Next to them, her heavily pregnant mother clutched her little brother, Neal, while her father holding them as tightly as he could with a face daring anyone to try tearing them apart.

But this spell was on their terms, not his. They would defeat him back in their world, and shut him off from ever being released into the real world. Or at least, what she had always known as the real world.

Emma was leaving the world she had loved for so long, possibly forever. A sinking feeling in her stomach at the uncertainty they faced settled in. The purple smoke began to fill in her lungs and she shut her eyes tightly, pressing her face into Killian's leather.

A fraction of a second later she heard a bird chirping and opened her eyes. The smoke was just clearing, revealing a lush wooded area. And in the distance a somewhat familiar sight poked above the trees. Her family's castle, her new home, awaited.

She heard Killian sigh as he said as enthusiastically as he could, "Welcome back to the Enchanted Forest, love."

18 Years Later

The waves crashed against the castle walls as the small boat carrying a young woman crept towards the secret dock. She had found the passage as she had explored the castle years as a small child. As far as she knew, very few knew of its existence. It was pitch black outside, but for the lantern that she held up as she simultaneously threw the rope to tie her small coracle to the dock.

Taking care to not make a sound, lest to alert the guards, she expertly tied off her boat and began walking through the passage. Her feet tread lightly on the cobblestone as she took a winding staircase up to the gardens. It was around twilight and she would be in quite a bit of trouble roaming the grounds at this hour. She rolled her eyes at the memory of the lecture her mother had given her the last time she was caught. Quietly she blew out the candle in the lantern and gingerly set it at the entrance to the passage. The garden would be awash with moonlight, plus the lantern would make her far too easy to identify. She had no desire to work another week in the kitchens cleaning all the royal family's dishes.

As the young woman snuck across the grounds, she noticed a dark figure pass between two columns in the entrance to the castle. A guard, she thought at first, but as she tried to go the other direction, the figure approached her. And he wasn't wearing armor, he didn't make any noise as he moved. Apprehension creeped into her as she could sense the darkness emanating from the figure. She had never felt something so evil in her life.

It was a man, she could tell. He was shorter than her and as he approached even faster, she could see an odd glint coming from his face and hands, almost as if they were glittery. Suddenly his face was revealed by the moonlight and fear gripped the young girl.

The short and thin man had evil dark eyes and odd skin that looked as if it were leathery. Like a crocodile, like the man her parents had told her about. Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestilskin had disappeared after the Battle of the Great Return. After they reached the Enchanted Forest and got a hold of the Dark One dagger, Rumple was commanded to never perform evil and to live out his own perpetual existence in silence and solitary.

Obviously, he somehow broke the hold, because there he stood.

Before she could sound the alarm, the Dark One had magically gripped her throat and slowly lifted her from the ground as he began squeezing the life out of her.

"Hey!" A familiar voice echoed through the courtyard, "Let her go!"

She turned and saw a tall figure running towards them, sword brandished. It was King David, going straight for Rumple who instantly let the girl fall to the ground as he met the king head on.

As soon as she hit the ground, she drew her sword that she kept at her side, a beautiful and perfectly balanced blade her father had given her for her sixteenth birthday a few days before. Except now she was in a real combat situation, and all she could feel was fear.

But Rumple was not paying any attention to the girl.

"So we meet again, Charming," the Dark One spat, "but this time, you will not escape with your life."

"How are you back, Gold?" Charming asked, sounding just as confident, "because if I remember correctly, I have the dagger somewhere very special. And since it is still in my possession, you can't hurt me.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, "You mean," he pulled out a thin object, "this dagger?"

In an instant, the king's expression changed, "Go," he said in a controlled, commanding tone, "Elizabeth, get out of here now! Run! Sound the alarm."

Heeding his words, she tried to run, only to feel herself lifted into the air and thrown backwards, facing the night sky. Pain shot through her body as she hit her head and hear herself cry out.

"No!" David yelled and he tried to reach her but he was too slow. Rumplestiltskin grabbed the girl, roughly pulled her to her feet, and held the dagger to her throat.

Facing the king, she saw great fear in his eyes that broke her heart.

"Don't, don't hurt the girl," David said slowly, "Please." He gingerly laid down his sword in front of him and put his hands up as she struggled, shaking her head bravely. "Please," he repeated, "no one has to get hurt."

Again, the Dark One giggled like a child, "Agree to disagree."

In a flash, Rumple standing in front of her with the king's sword in his hand. In the few seconds it took Charming to realize what was happening, Rumple swung his arm back and cleanly ran the monarch through with his own blade.

She screamed in terror as the imp withdrew the bloody sword and watched the beloved Charming collapse.

She ran to his side and fell on her knees, taking his head in her lap. She saw his eyes were open, he was still alive, eyes wide with the shock running through his veins from the trauma.

"Stay alive," she said as forcefully as possible, trying not to cry, "w-we need you. I'm so s-sorry. It's all my fault."

"No," Charming shook his head as he fought the darkness overtaking him, "don't blame yourse…" and suddenly his eyes grew wider as he saw something behind her and strong hands yanked her away. "NO," she screamed, trying to struggle.

For a moment, she caught eyes with David, laying so very still, and the next second she was in a dark stone room, alone. She turned towards the only light which came out of a small window a few feet above her.

She heard a swivel of a door, the Dark One was standing in the room's only doorway. "Now you all begin paying that price," he said evilly and with that he walked out, the door magically swinging itself shut behind him.

And Elizabeth, Princess of the Second Kingdom, was left alone.

 **Any thoughts? Feel free to review/PM. All questions will be answered in chapters ahead. Who is Elizabeth? What is the Second Kingdom? Did I really just kill Charming off in the first chapter? I guess you're going to have to see...**


	2. Chapter 2

Killian Jones, still known in some circles as Captain Hook, woke with a start as Jaxon, his first mate, burst into the room.

"Your Highnesses, I am sorry to disturb…"

"Bloody hell, Jax, you better have a good reason to wake us." In the light of the guardsman's torch, Hook could see his wife, Emma, was awake and just as annoyed.

"Sir, there has been a disturbance in the garden. They said there are injured royal members..."

Instantly, the couple was awake, throwing on dressing robes and grabbing weapons. As they bolted towards the garden, Killian saw the figures crowding near something on the ground, and his heart sank.

As they ran closer, one of the standing figures met them halfway. It was Neal, Emma's brother and the middle child in the Charming clan. His face was grave, and tears were threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Neal, who is it?" Emma asked warily.

Suddenly a scream erupted from the group of people and after exchanging looks with Emma, Killian turned his head and walked towards the group of people.

"Charming… _please_!"

What he saw in the flicker of the torches stopped him dead in his tracks. Five guardsmen were on bended knee in a semi-circle around an unmoving King David. The sobbing queen held his head in her lap with her youngest son, Reginald, attempting to comfort her as tears ran down his own face. Snow was begging him not to leave her, shaking his body as if to try restarting his heart.

No, Killian felt as if he could no longer breathe. The king was his closest mate and the picture of health despite his age. How could he possibly be lying dead?

Another cry of grief erupted behind him, and he knew Neal finally told Emma. He heard her running towards him and watched his wife fall to her knees next to Charming's unmoving body, gently taking his hand.

Killian saw Reginald's twin sister, Ruth, with her guardsman running towards them. Frightened she may trip, he took the young girl in an embrace and held on, carefully leading her to the rest of her family. As he handed her off to her twin brother, Killian turned to one of the kneeling soldiers, "Call for Regina and Henry…" he said quietly.

The man nodded and rushed towards the grand hall, where there was a magic mirror.

Hook searched himself for how he was going to explain this to his own daughter. The entire Charming family was close knit and the king doted on all the children. But they all knew he had a soft spot for both the girls. In his heart, Killian knew this was likely to make up for the lost time with Emma. In any case, his little girl would be devastated.

Then Killian gritted his teeth and turned to the second man, "What happened here?"

"It was _him_." Neal's voice, hard with grief, came from behind.

Killian turned to face him and saw the fear, the grief, and most of all the anger in the young man's face. There could only be one "him" that the prince could mean. He shook his head, "No, that is not possible." It couldn't be…

"Rumplestilskin, m'lord," one of the men piped up. "I saw him with my own two eyes. The coward used magic and stabbed 'im." The guard, a young man no older than the prince, had tears reflecting from his face as his torch flickered, and his voice was shaking. "He cut our king down with his own sword, sir, and then took the girl with him."

The breath caught in Killian's throat, "What girl?"

The guardsman shook his head, "I don' know, sir, too dark it was. But I know it was a girl because I heard her scream and I came into the garden with Neal and Powell and saw the king collapse and the girl try to help him. Rumplestiltskin just grabbed her and disappeared."

"Grabbed who?" Emma had just tuned into the conversation, and her eyes were as wide as her husband's with the same fear gripping her.

"He says…he says Gold was the culprit and that he took someone," her husband said quietly as he walked towards the spot where the soldier had pointed.

"Aaaah!" he cried out as he stepped on a hard object. It was a sword laying on the ground, which he picked up. The stress converted to rage as he spat at the guards, "Who left their bloody sword here in the dark?"

All the soldiers checked their hilts, and confirmed each held their blades. In the light of the torches, Killian looked closer at the blade. His heart stopped as he saw a swan taking flight, feathers ablaze, reflecting on the hilt. "No…"

He turned to his wife, who looked very confused at the fear on his face.

"Killian, what..?"

"Why…" Killian's voice broke, "Why would Elizabeth's sword be out here?"

The young princess' parents made eye contact and bolted. Forgetting magic, forgetting everything, the pair suddenly was running through the castle towards their quarters. Barging past a confused guardswoman, Mulan, they flew into their daughter's room. Their fears were realized the moment they saw the empty four post bed. She was gone.

"Elizabeth!" Killian cried, checking every nook and cranny where his headstrong daughter could be hiding, his wife doing the same.

"She's gone, Killian," Emma cried hysterically, and Hook went to his wife and held on for dear life as she kept repeating the same terrible words over and over, "She's gone…she's gone." They had failed to protect their little girl from the horrors that they had once faced.

All he could do is just stand holding his wife, trying to reconcile the cold truth. His only daughter was in the hands of his greatest enemy, who took every opportunity to take away all Hook held dear. The danger the girl now faced was inconceivable. And it would only get worse once the Crocodile realized exactly whose child he held in his grasp.

Suddenly, they became aware of someone entering the chamber. Instinctively, Hook drew his cutlass and pushed Emma behind him. He quickly spun to face the intruder only to come face to face with Emma's son, Henry.

"Whoa," surprise and fear graced the prince's face as he raised his hands, "Killian, it's just me." His stepfather quickly put away the sword and embraced him, "It's good to see you, son."

Henry embraced him back but kept his eyes on his mother, who now standing without support seemed so small with grief. It killed Henry to see his strong mother so frightened.

"Mom," Henry went to her and gave her a strong embrace, "I know you're upset. But it will be alright, everything will be alright."

Despite everything, Henry's words gave some comfort to Hook. Henry held the mythological heart of the truest believer and was therefore truest in his belief in all that is good. Since he had begun to learn magic, his heart had allowed him to wield even stronger light magic than his powerful mother.

"Henry," Emma said slowly, looking in her son's eyes, "He has your sister. He…he killed your grandfather."

"No Mom, he's alive," Henry assured her.

Elated surprise flooded Hook's senses and his eyes widened, "David is alive?"

Henry nodded, "Regina and I came as quickly as we could and she revived him! His heart hadn't stopped beating. They were carrying him to the chambers when they told me to find you, come on!"

He led a bewildered Emma and Killian through the halls into the quarters of the king and queen. There, Killian saw the king, still not yet awake, lying in his bed with Ruth sitting in a chair at his side, still silently weeping, now in joy. Snow was on the other side of the bed, holding her husband's hand with her two sons on either side.

"Emma," the moment Snow saw her eldest daughter she got up and rushed to embrace her. "He's going to be alright," she whispered in Emma's ear.

"Killian," Reginald piped up behind his mother, "is Elizabeth…"

"Gone," the words choked out of Hook's throat, "he took her."

All the conscious Charmings just stared at him in silence. One of their own had been taken by the worst enemy imaginable. They all knew the Dark One's history with Killian, especially of the time when he was one himself. The Dark One had taken everything from him: his loves, his hand, and eventually his life. Now it had taken even more, and it felt worse than Excalibur going through his body.

Everyone knew the moment that Rumplestiltskin realized it was Hook's daughter he now held in his grasp, somehow her impossible situation would worsen.

Suddenly, a gasp escaped from Ruth, breaking the silence and all heads turned to her and then to the king. His eyes were open, and he was smiling at his daughter.

"David?" Snow said carefully.

But Charming did not look away from his youngest daughter, "Cry no more, sweetheart," he whispered, "don't be afraid."

With no words, Ruth jumped and embraced her father, who gasped a moment but hugged her back with all the energy he could. Snow reached to her husband and held his face in her hand, "You scared us all. I thought I lost you, Charming," she said with a smile through the tears.

"But I found you again," he said back and they shared a kiss, Ruth still clinging to him.

When Ruth finally let go, Killian went to the king's side, "You had us going there a moment, mate," he said quietly.

"Did he get away?" Charming asked quietly.

Killian took a deep breath and nodded, "Aye."

"With?"

He nodded again and saw his own pain reflect in Charming's eyes. "It's my fault," the king said, "I thought the dagger was in our possession and that he was bluffing. I didn't tell her to run fast enough…I didn't…"

David was getting increasingly upset, and his wife quickly rushed to his side and consoled him, "You didn't know, Charming," she said definitively, "This is not your fault!"

"She's right, Dad," Hook hardly recognized Emma's voice as she spoke, "It's Rumplestilskin's."

"How are we going to get her back?" Reginald asked quietly.

Hook and Emma exchanged looks, and his response was quiet, "By whatever means necessary."


	3. Chapter 3

As the adrenaline wore off, all Elizabeth could do was panic. She was alone in a cell, the Dark One had just grabbed her from her home, and worst of all…the king was dead. Grief, fear, and exhaustion took over as her body soon became racked with sobs. She wanted her mother there to tell her what she should do. She wanted her brother and grandparents to tell her to have hope. She wanted her father's arms around her and his voice quietly telling her he would never stop fighting for her.

But she was a prisoner, the king was dead, and it was all her fault.

She could hear the last argument with her mother echo in her mind.

 _"_ _What if something happened to you?"_

 _"_ _You're so paranoid, Mum, nothing is going to happen!"_

She was so naïve. Just because of some magic, just because she was surrounded by guards she had thought she was safe. But how stupid she had been, sneaking out had cost her dearly. She was alone, afraid, and now it was up to her to make it right.

Elizabeth thought of her mother at sixteen, her father told her that Emma had been alone by her age after spending her entire childhood trying to find a home. Elizabeth had never known such loneliness, not when she was constantly surrounded by family. Even when her parents would go sail on adventures together, they never went for long, and she always had her big brother who would take care of her. Henry was always a blast, even though he was nearly 15 years her senior. And her mother's siblings, Neal, Ruthie, and Reg, were more like siblings since they were all so close in age, the twins only a year ahead.

Her family was everything to her. She had to get home to them.

Pulling herself together, Elizabeth gathered her surroundings. She dragged the small pallet of straw and stood on it for extra height. As she looked out the window, her heart sank as she saw grounds and nothing but sky. She was in the dark castle, in a tower. She could see a huge shimmering dome cutting through the twilight. Magic. Likely either to keep her in, or everyone out.

But what if he didn't account for the young princess to have magic? She thought back to when she studied in her room the transport "poofing" spell. She had ended up in the gardens, celebrating and scaring the crap out of some guards. That had been three days previous.

The girl focused, squeezing her eyes shut. Suddenly she heard the cry of an eagle and opened her eyes. She was in the forest. It was unbelievable, she did it!

She could hear voices just a few yards away. As she carefully walked towards the sounds, a pub came into view. People who could hide her. She ran up to the door but as she reached the door her hand stopped just short of the handle.

"What's happening?" she heard herself say out loud.

"You nearly got away there, dearie," a sickly demented voice behind her, "but I don't lose important possessions very often."

A sudden puff of smoke and she found herself right back in the cell.

Rumplestitlskin stood before her. And this time, she got a good look at him in the moonlight. His skin was sickly green, like the color of swamp mud and his eyes shined yellow like a cat's. His stringy hair fell limply along his face. He was shorter than she thought he would be, and extremely thin.

"You are extremely powerful to have escaped the Dark Castle without being detected."

Was he complimenting her?

"Hardly undetected," she retorted, "you found me."

He shrugged, "It was a test, a test to see if you would try to escape. You did very well, much better than I expected!"

Elizabeth was thrown off by the praise, but kept a brave face.

"What will become of me?" she asked boldly.

All he did was shrug, "I haven't decided yet. Your power may come of use to me, so I have decided as of yet not to kill you. But I need to limit your power so you cannot try escaping. But I won't take it away, it may come to some use for me."

And with a puff a leather cuff appeared on her wrist. She knew the stories of that leather cuff, as it had been used countless times in the stories her family told. But it was the other thing he said that disturbed her, "My power is only light magic, what use could the Dark One make of that?"

"Manipulation is a skill, as you and your family will soon discover," he said with his sickening giggle.

"My family?" Elizabeth knew that her family had a bad past with Rumple, but hoped he would not recognize her for who she was, "What would you know of me? You stole me from a garden in the palace. I could be anyone."

He rolled his eyes, "Besides the fact you look just like Snow White at the same age? I saw the fear in Charming's face, it was the same fear I had seen when members of his family were in mortal peril. And those were multiple occasions, mind you, I'm something of an expert." When she didn't respond, he giggled and continued, "I know you are a Charming, the question is your relation to them. Are you a daughter of the bandit and shepherd?" His smile grew wider, "Or of the savior and the pirate?"

Internally she bristled at him calling her father a pirate, despite the fact she had learned the legends of Captain Hook, unbeknownst to Killian, some time previous. This criminal calling her father something so demeaning lit a new fire, "You killed the king," she said coldly, "I will never tell you anything so that you could hurt my family."

"So like them, you are," he said quietly, walking slowly towards her. She backed up as much as she could, but soon her back was against the wall and his leathery face was in hers, "Your family soon will learn, little miss, that I have great resources and associates. And all I have to do to hurt your family is to keep you here and play as long as I want."

And with no further word he pulled himself away, walked out and sealed the door behind him.

As he packed his things, Hook turned his back to his wife in frustration.

"How could you ask me not to go with you?" Emma asked slowly, obviously holding back her emotions due to Henry's presence in their chambers.

Also wary of that fact, Killian was trying to keep his head. The whirlwind of the night's events still had his blood rushing a million miles an hour. He was going to get his little girl back. Now.

"You have to stay and keep the kingdom running," Killian said, trying to keep his voice even. "Your father is going to require weeks if not months of recovery, even with the magic. You should let your mother be with him without having to worry about affairs of state. The people are going to need you to show them that we will protect them…"

"And what about me?" Emma said, tears in her eyes, "What about what I want? What happened to doing things together. He has my _daughter_ , Killian. OUR daughter. Our baby girl is in the hands of that…that…"

Hook slammed his hands on his rucksack, "Of that _monster_!" he cried, losing all decorum and spinning to face his wife.

Her face softened at the terrible pain in his face, distorted with grief, as he cried, "We thought we had defeated him, Emma, we thought your father had worked out all the loopholes of that bloody dagger but once again that bastard has found another way to threaten our happiness." She could see him start to break down, "If something happens to Elizabeth, I don't know what I'll do if he hurts her…"

His speech was cut short by Emma taking him softly into her arms as he exclaimed his worst fear. He buried his face in her beautiful blonde hair taking a deep breath in of her scent. It was comforting.

"If Mom can't go, then I will go with you," she heard Henry say softly behind her.

Emma turned and walked over to her son, taking his face in her hands. They were now the same age in looks. They discovered after a few years that while Snow and David appeared to age naturally, Emma and Killian were stuck in their early thirties. Not that she was complaining, but it was odd now that her son was the same age as she looked.

Henry was a tall specimen, towering over both of them with an easily above six foot frame that was framed with well-toned muscles. His kind face was clean shaven and his hair kept short. He was a loving husband now and an adoring father.

"What about Astrid?" she asked, naming his wife, "What about Lucy?"

He looked down at the mention of his young daughter, "She's young," he said, "and Astrid will be able to hold down the fort while I'm gone. They need you here." His beautiful wife was a former lieutenant in the Arendelle army, she could handle about anything. And his headstrong daughter would understand, she loved her Aunt Elizabeth and she would keep the storybooks safe. He lived in what was now known as the Hall of the Book, a palace converted into a library for all the storybooks for all the lands of story. While he was the crown prince of the First Kingdom, currently ruled by Regina, he had wanted his own home and a place where he could be the Author and share the incredible stories he had been tasked to record. And with his and Astrid's hard work, the Hall had become a place where people flocked to learn of history.

Emma stared him down hard, "Alright."

Killian closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked to her husband and nodded, "I'll go tell everyone I'm staying. You're right, my mother deserves a break." And without another word, she turned and walked calmly out of the room.

Once she was gone, Killian turned to Henry, "So, I think we should start at your Hall, one of those storybooks has to have some information where that demon could be hiding her…"

"Oh you're going to need so many more supplies than those dearie…" a familiar voice taunted behind them.

Quickly turning, Henry and Killian found themselves face to face with their foe. Killian drew his cutlass and Henry's hands began to glow.

"What the hell are you doing here, crocodile?"

Rumple's eyes narrowed, "Now I'm confused," he said, still smiling, "how is it you still look so much like…you?"

Killian knew exactly what the Dark One was referring to. He had not seen Rumple in over fifteen years and yet still looked the same as he did when they last encountered each other.

The former pirate smirked, "One of the benefits of being resurrected by a God."

"And Miss Swan?" Rumple continued, "what might her excuse be?"

Henry looked at Killian shrugged, there was no use keeping it from him, it was no secret.

Hook looked back to Rumple, "Same as yours."

Rumple kept his eyes narrowed for a moment, then nodded, "The first Dark One to survive the title," he said, "very interesting."

"Are we going to stand here talking or are you going to tell us what the hell is going on?" Killian said coarsely.

"Now now," Rumplestiltksin held up his hands, "we were just catching up. I come bearing news of the girl."

"What have you done with Elizabeth?" Henry demanded.

"Nice to see you again too, Henry," his grandfather said, not even sparing a glance for his only grandson.

"Where is my daughter?" Hook demanded.

A flash of surprise pulsed Rumple's face, "You know what?" he giggled with sick glee. "I knew I recognized that flash of anger in those eyes. I just hadn't seen it in yours for so long. My assumptions were correct, the girl is the offspring of the former Darkness."

Killian's heart sank realizing he very well could have just worsened the situation. He stood dumbstruck.

Henry spoke for him, "She's the product of true love, not the darkness."

"Elizabeth…your sister then, Henry?" Rumple giggled even more. He kept his eyes on Hook, "She is going to stay with me awhile. She is quite powerful you know, I think I'm going to find a way to use that to my advantage."

"Your advantage?" Killian growled, "She is just a child. Your quarrel is with me, Crocodile, don't bring her into this."

Henry interjected, "Grandpa," he kept his voice calm, "I know my dad wouldn't want you to keep her away from her family."

At the mention of Baelfire, Rumple spun and faced his grandson, "You knew Bae for all of three weeks? And you think you can tell me that he would protect Captain Hook's child?" The anger and pain flared in the dark eyes.

"He was a hero." Henry said simply.

"And if anything," Hook interjected, "he loved Emma and would not want her child in danger."

"What is your purpose in taking her?" Hook asked passionately, "She's just a child, just give her back to us and we will help you. Please."

Rumplestilskin ignored her pleas and walked to Henry, who was so much taller that the younger man had to bend his head down to keep eye contact, "The girl is mine as long as she is necessary. Just as long as she doesn't escape again. Pesky poofing spell!" And with that ironic statement, he poofed out.

Killian was confused, "Poofing spell? Did she figure that out on her own?"

Henry's eyebrow raised, "You don't seem surprised she has magic."

His stepfather shook his head, "Of course she has magic, look at her mother! She's been showing signs of it since she was a little babe. I was waiting for her to talk to us about it so she could learn from Regina or Emma… Or you."

Henry knew that keeping her secret was no longer necessary, "She told me a month ago," he admitted, "she's been sneaking Mom's books for about a year now. She told me last week she was going to try poofing, she must have figured out. That must be how she got past Mulan, our magic wards don't protect against her magic."

Pride for his daughter's talents surged through Killian, until a question arose, "Why didn't she tell me?"

His son put his hand reassuringly on his shoulder, "She just wasn't ready, she knew how you guys felt about magic. And she wanted to make sure she was using good magic."

For shame, Killian thought to himself, why would his daughter feel so unable to talk to him about something so important? He renewed his resolve to find her, he was going to show her how much he loved every bit of her, magic included. And he would never stop fighting for her.

 **My longest chapter so far, please feel free to give some constructive reviews or PMs. Let me know if there are questions you have that I should answer sooner than later. Coming up next will be some flashbacks explaining how everyone ended back up in the EF and into Elizabeth's childhood. Should be fun!**


	4. Chapter 4

_8 months following the "Final Battle" with the Dark Fairy_

"What do you think the news is?"

Emma glanced at her husband in the passenger seat of the squad car as they drove to Granny's from the town line. Her mother had called for a family meeting at the diner.

"Well…" she mused, "She's telling us in public, so my guess would be good news!"

Killian considered that, "Aye, if it were anything too tragic, she probably would tell us in private."

Not that most of their family's tragedies weren't completely in the open, Emma thought to herself.

The most recent, her latest near death experience, had been particularly brutal and right in the middle of Main Street. Months of lead up where visions engulfed her brain until the last moment with the painful stab every time, she was happy that was all over. It had been torture, for her and for her family. And then she did end up actually getting stabbed as the visceral cherry on top.

In comparison, the last few months since the Final Battle were relatively quiet by Storybrooke standards. The sheriff work she and her new deputy were used to previously, evil apocalyptic magic maniacs, were no longer. Now their most typical call was a drunken dwarf that overstayed his welcome at the Rabbit Hole or keeping the peace at the growing town halls.

The town was beginning to become restless at the idea of being stuck in the small quarters that was Storybrooke, Maine, forever. The establishment of a small university for the young people that finally were growing up after 30 years of being stuck in the same age was being debated. How new lands would be distributed as the population grew was also hotly contested. But the largest question remained, whether or not to allow people unabated access to the outside world.

Rumplestilskin had already left with Belle and Gideon the previous month, taking Neal's keys and living out of the small apartment as they navigated the modern world. His departure had caused a large rift in the town as people questioned what was really keeping them in town. But there were dangerous undertones to these questions, if they could leave, who could they bring back? The question from years before about what would happen if magic was discovered by those outside the town line arose once more, and it made Emma nervous.

But the concerns were real. The town was growing, there was no denying that. There was no way the tiny town would be able to accommodate a growing population, and they certainly couldn't keep people from starting families.

It also became more awkward when people questioned what was even keeping them there. And they really had to consider that question. The curse that brought everyone back to Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest when Zelena was the villainous flavor of the month was cast by Emma's parents, and broken by Regina. The next curse to bely the town, cast by Hook in his Dark One stint, was actually technically cast by Nimue using Merlin's heart. Panic had engulfed the crowd that the curse was still in effect, seeing how no Savior had been designated. But Regina calmed them by assuring the throng that Hook's sacrifice allowed for the curse to be broken. She even crossed the town line herself, via Facebook Live, to show everyone the truth. Branchless, she had walked back over and almost as soon as Emma had ended the live feed had her mother called with the call for a town meeting. She had brought Henry over directly from school to the loft and the four of them (Snow, Charming, Henry and Neal) would meet Emma, Killian and Regina at Granny's.

Despite the assurances that a public reveal of any news likely would be good news, a pit settled in Emma's stomach as she pulled into the neon light bathed parking spot in front of the diner. She had been keeping an eye out for the past eight months for any sign of villain that would be the next to threaten the happy life she had been building. And with every day with no appearance, she still remained vigilant.

That all said, what a happy a life it was! As wonderful a partner Killian was in times of strife, he was an attentive and passionate husband in peace time. He clued in to her every trait and could see through every wall she tried to put up and worked with her patiently to get her to let him in.

As they walked up to the door, she felt his hand on the small of her back as he let her in first.

 _"_ _So now you're going to be a gentleman?"_

 _"_ _Giants can smell blood…and I'm always a gentleman."_

She smiled internally at the memory of their first adventure on the beanstalk. Those eyes gawking at her as he had tied his scarf to her hand, with his mouth, had been almost irresistible. How different they both were back then. The pirate she had distrusted so much she had cuffed him to a giant's lair was now the man she was attempting to teach how to drive a stick shift.

In their usual booth sat her family, whom she watched carefully. Henry was growing so fast, she could swear he had grown four inches in the past few months. She wondered, somewhat sadly, if it was the lack of stress they had endured recently. Her father beamed, he seemed so much happier as a part time deputy and full time stay at home dad. He and her mother had purchased a beautiful farmhouse outside of town where they now raised horses and kept a small garden. Her mother seemed to glow from happiness as she played with Neal. Emma's younger brother was now over a year old and already had quite the serious personality, something he shared with his sister. Regina had beaten them there and sat next to Henry, but across from Neal, and was taking turns with Snow playing peak-a-boo.

It was a beautiful scene, something Emma's recent past and ancient history had taught her to be grateful for. As they walked up, her mother jumped up and gave her a big hug. Out of the corner of her eye she saw David give his best friend a manly hug.

Once greetings were exchanged all around, including Neal screeching, "MMMA" (he couldn't quite get the E) and begging for the treat of his sister's arms, the couple sat down.

"So…" Emma prompted as she bounced her joyful brother on her knee, "what's the big news?"

Snow rolled her eyes, "You are so like your father, always having to get down to it, aren't you?"

Emma shrugged, looking at Charming, "You realize she's blaming everything on you right?"

"So what else is new?" David asked with a grin, a grin that Emma was noticing had been there since she reached the diner and had not left once. What was this news?

"It might be easier if I show you," her mother said, reaching into her purse. It took some rummaging around, but she pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Emma's Neal free hand.

Emma took a hard look at the snapshot and her breath was taken away.

It was a sonogram.

She looked up at each of her parents, going back and forth between their expectant faces.

"You…" she stammered dumbfounded, "You…"

Poor Killian, who was terribly confused, was beginning to get concerned, "What is that?" he raised his eyebrows to David, "What does that mean? Is everything alright?"

"Oh for crying out loud give me that," Regina demanded, standing and snapping the picture out of Emma's hand, "really Miss Swan you can't just take the clue and not sha…" she stopped talking immediately as she looked down and recognized the ultrasound.

She looked back up to her stepdaughter, "You're pregnant?"

"What?" Killian and Henry exclaimed together.

Charming wrapped his arm around his wife as they nodded, tears in Snow's eyes, "Yep!" she confirmed.

Emma finally recovered from her shock in time to give her mother a big smile and say, "Wow, congratulations!"

"When is the baby coming?" Henry asked excitedly.

"I'm just done with the first trimester," his grandmother answered, "so in six months!"

"And…there's one more surprise," David added.

Emma rolled her eyes, "One more surprise? Let me guess, twins?"

Snow's eyes widened and she crossed her arms, "How did you figure that out?"

"Wait what?" her daughter replied, "It's twins? That was a joke!"

"No, it's reality," her father said, a huge smile on his face, "I mean it definitely runs in the family…"

Emma winced at the mention of her Uncle James, whom she only met in the Underworld as he was trying to send her father into the depths of the worst fate imaginable.

Congratulations went around the table, and the merriment was palpable as they celebrated their incoming new family members. But under Emma's happiness for her mother, there were other emotions beneath the surface.

She couldn't understand what she was feeling until she was home alone with Killian with a Sailor Jerry on the rocks in her hand, and he once again saw through everything.

"So are we going to talk about why you are jealous of your mother all a sudden?" Killian asked quietly as he sat on the chair across from her seat on the couch, setting his rum on the coffee table. He always did that when they were going to have a "serious" conversation, sure not to sit next to her so they could look each other in the eye.

Emma looked up in shock at his words but in that moment recognized he was absolutely right. She was jealous.

"I…I don't know," she replied honestly.

"Swan, if you had told me any time over the past eight months you wanted children I would have laid you down where you stood and given you a child," he said, laughing, "Frankly even earlier I probably would have."

His words surprised her, "Really? I mean, I honestly didn't know I wanted kids until I saw the sonogram… I guess we just had never discussed between all the curses and the villains and death, I never thought I would get this chance again."

Her husband grinned from ear to ear, "Well, Mrs. Jones, if you so wish, I would take you upstairs this very moment and ravish you until you will have a…a…what's it called again, love?"

She giggled, "A sonogram, it's a picture of the baby."

He crinkled his nose, "How do they…? Nope, don't tell me, I have a feeling I don't want to know."

Emma got up and kissed him lightly on the mouth, whispering, "When the time comes, you will see. I promise it's not gross."

"Well I guess I'll have to take your word for it then," he whispered back, kissing her back.

She climbed up on his lap as the kissing became more and more passionate, his arms wrapping around her, with his good hand tangled in her hair while his hook was expertly balanced on her back.

It was going to turn into a good night, until Emma's radio crackled into life with a clear message:

"Dispatch to Sheriff, 911 at the town line, requesting immediate police presence over."

 _Back in the Enchanted Forest, Present Time_

As Killian and Henry walked through the gates of the castle he had called home for nearly twenty years, the former pirate looked back at the figure of Emma standing in the doorway.

His strong wife had been through so much in her life, and had to fight every step of the way for a life with a family and happiness. Even when they had come to the Enchanted Forest for good, she had taken to his world so well and made it her own. They had built their family among the umbrella of the Charming clan, keeping the family together a record amount of time considering how much they had been torn apart.

But this time would not take thirty years, he promised himself, and would require no curses. He threw Henry a comforting smile, which he saw returned to him. Taking Henry's hand he closed his eyes and suddenly felt the rush of all the air exiting his lungs.

When he opened his eyes he was no longer at the castle overlooking the lake, he was at the Hall of the Book, Henry's home. His search had begun.

 **I thought long and hard about how they ended the season and how it really wasn't sustainable to keep Storybrooke's population the way it was. There were really only two options, they were going to have to branch out eventually into the Land Without Magic (LWM) or leave because developing all those beautiful woods within the town line would be such a shame. And since Henry was in the EF at the bookends of the finale, obviously they go back. But you'll have to see what causes it ;)! Also I realized there was a ton of angst in the past few chapters, so I hope you guys enjoyed a bit of CS fluff! Thank you again for reading! Constructive reviews and or PMs are always welcome! I'm going to try to keep it up and post at the very least once a week.**


	5. Chapter 5

As Elizabeth woke up, she was confused by how cold she was in the dead heat of summer and how sore her body was. Until she opened her eyes.

She was on an itchy pallet of straw, on a stone floor in a small cell. The previous night's events flooded back to her. It had started out wonderfully, until it became the worst night of her life. The image of her beloved grandfather being run through painfully flashed in her mind. Trying to escape only to be caught.

The princess looked down at the cuff on her wrist. It was impossible for the wearer to remove, and was enough to even tamper the powers of a Dark One. She would be without her magic as long as the cuff remained in its place on her wrist.

She laid back and thought about her family. Her parents must have noticed she was missing by now, they were probably frantic. Guilt pervaded her body at the thought of the panic they probably were experiencing. Did her mother shut down? Was her father resorting to his pirate days once more? How was her grandmother coping with David's death?

More than ever she wanted to be with her family, to relieve them of their pain and mourn with them.

She was so selfish, she had caused so much pain. All to see a boy.

His name was Will Turner. She had met him aboard the _Dauntless_ when her father had taken her aboard Captain Nemo's vessel to see new lands for her fourteenth birthday. He was a cabin boy, taken in by the good captain after he had been found searching for his father. He was a gangly boy with a kind heart and an odd accent. Elizabeth instantly fell for his bashful grin and modest demeanor. It had just been a schoolgirl crush then, and thankfully her overprotective father had been none the wiser. But she had been so excited to be on a voyage with someone her age. Not that she didn't enjoy the time on the high seas aboard the _Jolly Roger_ with her father at the helm with his motley crew around her. But it was wonderful having Will around. In the month they sailed underwater, they explored new lands together and had become fast friends. It had been devastating for her to leave him when they arrived back at her kingdom. She could tell he was lonely, being the only child on the ship. But he told her he would come back and see her again.

When she had run into him in the village, all those feelings had come rushing back. He told her that he had left the _Dauntless_ for new adventures and had come to her kingdom to join her father's navy. Then he had asked to see her. When she suggested he come to the castle, he got nervous and asked if there was another way.

That was when she started sneaking out. It had been her idea, and she really didn't have an issue with it. She had magic and skill with a sword, so she was not concerned about anything. They stole a small rowboat to hide in her secret passage, which she would row along the shoreline until she saw him. Then they would walk through the forest, just them two, talking about anything and everything. He told her about his dreams of eventually becoming a sea captain and she told him about her fears about being a good queen.

She might love him, she had realized that a few days earlier, but she was worried what her parents might think. It had been enormously difficult sneaking around her parents, especially with her mother's "super power". But she had, as of yet, been successful.

Although now, she realized, her family would likely be wondering why she was out so late in the garden. And she knew Ruthie would tell, she always did the right thing. Elizabeth winced with a half smile as she thought of her dad's reaction.

Killian had been a protective father, for sure, but he had also allowed her so many freedoms. She had not just been taught in the arts of politics and femininity. Her entire family had taught her the arts of war: Killian and David with the sword, Snow with the bow and arrow, and Emma had given her a short lesson on hand to hand combat. Her favorite was the sword, but she always found the stock swords from the army that she practiced with too bulky for her liking. The moment her father had gifted her Flame, the sword she lost in the scuffle with Rumple, she knew that it was a perfect match.

But the first practice match with Flame had never happened. She realized with a pang that had she not been so careless, she could be walking with her dad that very moment down to the practice fields.

Not in Rumplestilskin's dungeon.

She stood and walked with purpose to the door.

"Rumplestilskin." she summoned.

No response. No Rumple.

She took breath and called again, slightly louder, "Rumplestilskin!"

Again, nothing.

"Dark One, I summon thee!"

Instantly an invisible force pulled her back, taking her off guard and causing her to fall to the ground. She caught herself as much as she could, but the stone floor took her body by surprise knocking the wind out of her. Pain shot up her right arm, specifically in her wrist.

She looked up, wincing in pain, holding the wrist. Rumple stood there, looking annoyed and none the least sympathetic.

"You know, it's considered rude to summon someone in their own home." He said dangerously, obviously not actually concerned about her manners.

"Have you decided what is to become of me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well," Rumple mocked, "Your family seems to think that they will, once again, prevail. That _true love_ will conquer all, even the Dark One and bring their family together again."

"It's happened before," Elizabeth retorted.

"Yes, well, dear old Dad's resurrection was a lucky fluke," Rumple said, "one that appears to have given him a great gift."

He meant her father's immortality, which meant, "You've seen my father?" She suddenly felt a rush of anger, standing and facing him defiantly, "What did you do?"

Rumple's hand shot up, slapping her to the ground once more, growling, "I will do as I please, child. And it would do you well to remember whose castle this is. I will do with you as I see fit, when I see fit. Question me at your own peril. Challenge me at your own peril. Summon me again at your own peril."

And with that he poofed.

Even as tears welled in her eyes, not just from the pain, but from fear and anger, Elizabeth held fast. She still had no answers. Why had Rumple even been on the grounds that night? What did he want with her? She knew she had to find out. He was still a threat to her family, and she was going to do whatever it took to protect them.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma watched as her son and husband poofed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She jumped for a brief moment as a hand touched her lightly on the shoulder.

The hand immediately withdrew as she jumped and turned to see her little brother Reg standing there, looking guilty at scaring his sister.

"Sorry Emma! Did Killian and Henry just go?"

She nodded, "Oh you're fine…I'm just…Yeah, they went to Henry's hall first, they're hoping to find some clues in The Book. What's up?"

Reginald seemed tired, exhausted even, for his age. He was nearly eighteen years old and seemed older in this moment, "Everyone's gathering in the chambers, they're trying to figure out what to do about…" he awkwardly stopped there and looked at the ground.

Emma knew why. Her younger siblings had all grown up with Elizabeth and the entire group was close. Her brother was obviously hurting, but nervous about bringing it up.

She took another deep breath, "Ok, lead the way!"

Arm in arm, the pair began walking together in silence.

Many people argued that Reg and Emma looked the most alike of the four Charming siblings. Emma and the twins all had fair hair, while Neal had inherited their mother's famous black locks. But Reg and Emma had both inherited Snow's heart shaped face, dimpled chin, and fiery green eyes. Ruth and Neal both had Charming's sharper features and kind blue eyes.

As her younger siblings had grown up, Emma had served as an odd combination of sort of sibling and aunt. Once the princess had been born, Emma and Killian elected to raise Elizabeth in a castle near the sea. But it was only a day's ride from the Charming's main abode and two or three to Regina's, which was important to Henry. They were constantly all together for business or functions. There had been so few skirmishes, so few wars, so little heartache in the past few years. Too few years, Emma thought, before she had to feel like this again.

They opened the door to the war room, and everyone was there. Queen Snow White, in all her glory, sat in one of her finer military uniforms. Her famous black hair was streaked with silver, and the heart shaped face was lined with experience, but those green eyes shone with a determination that had yet to dull in the least. Around the enormous council table sat Red Riding Hood, Grumpy the Dwarf, Jiminy Cricket, Tinker Bell, Captain Nemo, Neal, and next to Snow sat Regina, the former Evil Queen.

Behind the thrones were three chairs, one occupied by Ruth and the one next to her was quietly taken by Reg. They would be allotted their own seats at the council when they came of age should they decide to take on the royal mantle. Neal had already taken his position, as third in line to the throne behind Emma and Elizabeth.

Emma's heart sank at the sight of the empty chairs in the room. There were three next to her mother, one next to Regina. Henry, as Regina's heir, sat on his adopted mother's side. King David always sat next to his wife, with their heir at his side and Killian at hers.

The third chair behind the thrones had been added just a week before in honor of Elizabeth's sixteenth birthday. Emma could feel the anxiety rise in the pit of her stomach once more as she remembered how excited her daughter was when she had realized she would soon be allowed into the meetings.

 _Elizabeth jumped up and down in excitement as her mother told her the news, "So when is the next meeting? Do I get to speak? What kind of things are discussed? I mean they must be super important if Ruthie and Reg won't even tell me about them!"_

 _Emma laughed at her daughter's enthusiasm, "You'll see next month, you've already missed this one. But no you will not be speaking, only until you reach the table."_

 _She held her breath a moment when she saw a flicker of disappointment in the young girl's eyes and smiled, taking her daughters hand in hers, "I want you to pay attention to how your grandmother talks to people and works with people," she said seriously, "Take mental notes of how she acts with grace and thinks before she acts. This is the best way for you to learn, because one day you'll be in that seat and people will expect you to make decisions for them in their best interest."_

 _Elizabeth nodded, only rolling her eyes a little, "I know, Mom. But I have yeeeears before I have to worry about that. Plus, I'll have you to learn from too! You and Daddy."_

 _She didn't know why, but that confidence in her coming from her daughter filled Emma with a sense of pride. It was a reality she fought on a daily basis, one day she would rule. It touched her to know Elizabeth believed she would be a queen that she could learn from._

 _Emma wordlessly took her daughter in an embrace that the teenager certainly wasn't expecting, "I love you, kid."_

 _A pause followed, and Elizabeth almost sounded concerned as she replied, "I love you too, Mommy."_

"Emma!"

The sound of her name being tersely exclaimed brought Emma back to reality, and she realized she was still standing in front of the council's table. But now, everyone was staring at her with concerned faces, and her mother was standing, motioning for her to take a seat.

"Sorry," she muttered, as she rushed to do so.

"Thank you," Snow said, with a grimace. The queen turned to her council, "I'm sure you are all concerned why you were summoned on such short notice. I would like to start by briefly thanking all of you for coming so quickly."

She looked back at Emma who nodded, turned back, and continued in a powerful voice, "Rumplestilskin has returned."

All at the table, with the exception of those who were there the night before, gasped and began talking all at once.

"What do you mean, returned?" Red asked quietly.

"I knew that he would find a loophole eventually." Grumpy grumbled.

Everyone seemed to have questions and comments, all of which were being asked over one another.

Emma became impatient, "Alright, pipe down, everyone. That's not all."

They all fell silent in a moment, Emma never raised her voice. This was bad.

Tinker Bell, Ambassador for Fairies, was the first to speak again, "Snow, what happened?"

Snow's eyes were hard, "From what we discovered, he came onto the castle grounds last night. He was already in possession of the dagger. He came across Princess Elizabeth in the gardens and threw her to the ground when she tried to evade him. David…" her voice caught a moment, but she persisted, "the king saw them and engaged the Dark One. But he was injured, badly…" She stopped again, this time unable to continue as the memory of David's unmoving body with a growing puddle of blood flashed before her eyes. But she pushed it away, "And immediately after injuring David, Rumplestilskin disappeared…with Elizabeth."

Emma stared at the table, not wanting to see the shock and sympathy she was sure was on everyone's faces.

After nearly an entire minute of shocked silence, Captain Nemo spoke, "Two questions: Firstly, may I inquire after the King's current state? Secondly, what information do we know of the princess's fate?"

His voice was calmer than Emma expected, but as she looked up she saw fear. The Captain knew her daughter well, as Killian had taken her aboard Nemo's submarine on multiple occasions to see far off worlds with his former mentor and her uncle.

Snow nodded, "You may, and thank you, Captain. David was nearly fatally injured but survived, thanks to Regina," she quickly shot her friend a sincere smile, "He is now recovering and will be taking some time off, Emma will be handling his daily duties. All we know in the other matter is that Elizabeth is alive. Killian and Henry will be on the ground searching for the Dark Castle."

"Searching?" Red spoke up, "How after all this time does no one know where it is?"

Regina answered, "Rumple had very clear rules about getting into his estate and powerful magic protecting it. Anyone who he doesn't want finding him will never discover the castle, even if you had been there before. I can't tell you the amount of times I went there while I trained with him, but I can't remember even where in the forest it is."

"Who would he allow in?" the polite voice of Jiminy emanated from his makeshift megaphone, "I'm sure given the circumstances there could be someone who could help us!"

"Psh, in your dreams, Jim," Grumpy scoffed, "the only ones getting in there are his dark friends, and none of them are gonna help us."

"Emma," Tink piped up, "why was Elizabeth roaming the gardens so late?"

Emma took a deep breath, this had been a subject of contention for some time.

"She's been sneaking out for about a month," Emma revealed, "I caught her last week and begged her to stop, I told her to think about what could happen… but she doesn't listen."

"Where did she go? When she snuck out?" Red asked.

Emma shrugged, "Hell if I know, I think she was just going out into the taverns…"

A throat clearing from behind her distracted her and looking back she saw her sister making a face she had seen numerous times on their father towards Neal.

Neal was beginning to turn a deep shade of red, which stood out against his dark hair.

"What's going on?" Snow demanded, turning to her middle child, "Neal, what do you know?"

He couldn't look his mother in the eye, and instead looked at his fiddling fingers, "Elizabeth told us…she told us she had magic and she was using it to sneak out. I told her it was stupid, and if she just wanted to see him she should bring him to meet Emma and Killian properly…" he looked up and met his sister in the eye, "We told her you would be good with it, but she kept saying we didn't get it and just kept doing it anyways."

"He?" Emma repeated, "Who's he?"

Neal looked over her shoulder at his younger siblings, "A little help?"

Ruth stood straight, looking to her mother and formally asked, "Permission to speak, Your Majesty?"

Snow sighed, "Of course, Ruth. Who was Elizabeth meeting with?"

"William Turner," Ruth said quietly.

"Who?" Snow asked.

"My cabin boy?" Captain Nemo spoke up, "Will?"

Ruth nodded, "Yes, they met the last time she was on the _Dauntless_ , she had a huge crush on him."

"Wait," Emma couldn't wrap her head around this, "Elizabeth hasn't been on the _Dauntless_ for years, not since she took it with her father for her birthday like three years ago."

"Right," Ruth said, "but she saw Will last month in the village while we were riding and they reconnected.

"So she was sneaking out to see a boy?" Emma said, incredulous, "Why couldn't she just say something?"

Ruth looked down, "I think she was worried that you'd take it too seriously, and that Killian would challenge him to a duel…or something."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Seriously? But…"

"But there's one major problem," Captain Nemo interrupted.

"Yes?" Snow raised an eyebrow.

"Will has not stepped foot in this kingdom in three years before today, with me…" Captain Nemo said, "Elizabeth couldn't have been meeting him for the past month, he was in Wonderland with me for the past six."

Emma tried to process what she was hearing, "So you're saying she was sneaking out to see Will," she said to Ruth, "But Will wasn't here," she pointed to Nemo. Then she looked to her mother, "So who was she seeing?"

 **Thank you so much for reading, it means so much. I want to say I'm really appreciating some of the awesome feedback I'm getting. Please keep it coming! PM's and constructive reviews are more than welcome! Especially if you send that feedback non-anon so that if you do have a concern, I can either explain my choices or thank you for your feedback. I did two chapters this week because I have a lot going on in the next few days so I'm not so sure if I can publish next week, but I will try!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Wakey wakey sleepy head!"

Killian awoke with a start at the sound of a young girl's voice.

He looked around in confusion, taking in where he was. He was in an enormous room, a library, crammed with books. All the volumes were bound in the same deep brown leather. Light filtered through a glass rotunda above his head. The Hall of the Book had been a summer palace in Regina's kingdom until Henry married his wife and wished for a home of his own before he took the throne. It became a haven for the writings of all the Authors, including Henry himself. It was a beautiful spot, quiet and peaceful. But not the most comfortable place to sleep, especially sitting up using one of the aforementioned books as a pillow.

"Good morning!" the same voice giggled.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the smiling face of his granddaughter, Lucy.

Lucy was a beautiful little girl, and took very much after her mother with her deep brown eyes, long black hair and bronze skin. But in personality, she was all Henry. She was precocious, adventurous, and had a hard time staying put.

"Good morning," he answered, his voice cracking from the exhaustion, "what can I do for you, my lass?"

"You promised you would have breakfast with us today, Grandad!" she said, "Mama told me to come get you."

He shook his head, "Alas, my dear, I thought I had promised to join you for breakfast on Sunday."

She giggled again, "Silly Grandad, it is Sunday!"

His face fell. Sunday? Already? His Elizabeth had been taken on a Tuesday. Almost a week his daughter had been in the claws of the Dark One.

He couldn't believe how much time had already passed. He looked down at the book he had fallen asleep on. The picture took him aback for a moment, it was of him when he first met Rumplestiltskin, the man not the beast. What a cruel man he had been, all with the justification in his mind he was doing it all for love.

Lucy looked over his shoulder and saw the picture, "That's you! What story was that?"

He panicked. Never had he even told his own daughter of Captain Hook, just that he had been a pirate. Lucy was certainly too young to be given the story.

"Oh that's from my sailing days," he said, giving a convincing smile, "I wore a lot of leather back then!"

She gave him a playfully suspicious look, a swift reminder of her father, but then said, "You wear a lot of leather now, Granddad."

He shrugged, looking down at his leather coat, "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," she replied cheekily, "Now can we eat, pleeeeasse?"

She took his hand and they walked together to the family's private dining quarters.

At the large table Henry and Astrid already were sitting and eating. From Killian's view he could see breakfast was pancakes with maple syrup (an uncommon sight in the Enchanted Forest previous to Storybrooke, but now a burgeoning industry) as well as some fresh fruit.

"Great work Lucy," Henry said from his seat, giving his daughter a loving smile, "I knew you'd convince him to come!"

Astrid got up from her seat and gave her daughter a big hug, "Good morning darling, Papa and I already have some pancakes here for you and Granddad Killian."

Still beaming from completing her quest, Lucy eagerly ran to her spot next to her father. Henry gave her a congratulatory kiss on the top of her head as she grabbed some strawberries.

"Killian, join us," Astrid gave her father in law a small hug and led him to his own spot. Despite the fact he just wanted to get back to his research, Killian suddenly was hungry at the sight of the food in front of him and began helping himself to his own stack of pancakes.

"Henry tells me you discovered someone that might help you?" Astrid said.

Killian threw Henry a look. The first day Henry had suggested this particular individual, but Killian was not having it.

"No," he said quietly, "we have not." His voice was even, but he could feel an argument brewing. Hook tried to push it down but there was very little strength in him for self control at the moment. The sleep he had been awoken from was a mistake, he had been looking through the old histories of Rumplestilskin to find a clue, to avoid Henry's earlier suggestion. He knew his son made a fair point, but he was resolute in his stubbornness and his stress. He was without his girl and separated from Emma, who he knew blamed herself. It was another reason he hated falling asleep, because every time he woke since that terrible night, he remembered all over again the imminent dangers his loved ones faced.

Henry tensed, "I don't know how you could be so stubborn right now, with all that's going on. We need to use every avenue we have…"

"Not that avenue, Henry," Killian was becoming more and more upset.

"Lucy, baby, why don't you take your breakfast into the kitchen and ask Mrs. P to cut up some of those apricots we got yesterday?" Astrid suggested as lightly as she could.

The little girl opened her mouth to protest, but she saw the look in her mother's eyes and knew it wasn't up for discussion. Plus, if she didn't fight it, it was less likely the adults would be looking for her as she listened through the door. So she gave her mother a look and promptly grabbed her plate and walked out.

Henry took a deep breath once he was certain his daughter was out of earshot, "Killian we've been at this for days, you know the only way into the castle is by using someone who Rumple trusts. He doesn't trust too many people anymore. Not anyone we could use."

Killian huffed, "I already told you, Henry, I don't trust him. And I don't know how you could even think of putting her life at risk this way."

"What more risk could her life be in? And you've never trusted him, not his entire life."

Both men were now standing, leaning across the table as they argued.

"You were there, Henry," Killian exclaimed, "You saw him put a sword through your mother. I don't give a rat's ass that he was turned back to a babe. Watching Emma…" All those memories flashed in his mind. When Emma's hand started shaking, when she finally revealed that she was destined to die, their wedding day when she had come to say goodbye in case she failed, and finally that awful moment when she threw down her sword and Charming held him back as Gideon ran her through. A bright flash of light later and his Emma lay crumpled on the ground.

He sat back down and held his head in his hand at the horror those memories brought. The situation he was in felt so similar, he was powerless against the threat to someone he held most dear.

His head turned at the feeling of a hand placed comfortingly on his shoulder. Henry was sitting next to him, "I know how you must feel, I don't care to remember that day much either. But Killian, you know he cared for Elizabeth so much when they were kids. He's our best chance to get inside, or at the very least be an envoy for negotiations."

Killian shook his head, saying darkly, "There's never a negotiation with the Dark One, he just takes."

"You know our best shot is getting someone in the castle and rescuing her. He's not going to listen to us, and he's going to have found a way to even be sure blood magic keeps me out. Gideon is our only play, and he trusts me. Please, Killian."

The pirate turned prince looked his son in the eye, and he saw the hope that Henry was so famous for. The hope that had inspired so many in lands he had never even heard of before Henry brought them back in his books. The hope that, he knew, would bring Elizabeth home.

"Alright," he said slowly, "let's go find him."

 _Storybrooke - years earlier_

Lights and sirens blaring, Emma and Killian followed the ambulance from the town line towards the hospital. The scene there had been chaos. Rumple and his family had returned from the outside world but for a terrible reason. By the time the sheriffs got there, all they saw was Belle being loaded into the ambulance. And all they could hear was the toddler Gideon wailing for his mother.

Rumple explained that Belle had been hit by a car in Boston. The hospital she had been taken to told him she was brain dead and would not wake. He had brought her back for magic. Emma's magic.

Emma's mind raced, Rumple's request had hit her hard. What if she wasn't able to do it? Brain dead was dead in the Enchanted Forest, Rumple had never attempted to bring back someone who no longer had brain function. And he had promised Belle not to use his powers. The last time Emma had brought someone back from the brink of death was Robin in Camelot when she was the Dark One and she certainly learned that day all magic came with a price. What would the price be to bring Belle back? And even if she was able to, would it really be Belle?

She looked to her left at Killian, who had been kind enough to drive knowing how her mind must be racing. He looked worried for his friend as well. Belle's predicament was real, it was more likely than not that the intelligent and kind woman would be dead in a few hours, especially considering the time without the life support.

When they made it to the hospital and walked inside, they were met by her parents and Regina. As Killian filled them in, Emma followed a nurse to Belle's room.

Rumple was already there, having ridden with his wife in the ambulance.

"Thank you, Miss Swan, for agreeing to do this," he said quietly. He had never taken to call her by her new last name.

"I said I would try," Emma corrected, "I don't know if I can. But she's my friend…"

"She's all I have," Rumple interrupted, "everything good about me will die with her."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, "What about your son? What happened to making sure he has a happier childhood than the last one he was given. Giving him his best chance?"

"His mother is his best chance," Rumple insisted. He went to her and took Emma's hand, "I'm begging you, Miss Swan. Please. Bring me my wife back."

Emma looked behind him and saw her beautiful friend. She had a large gash on her forehead that had been repaired, and bruising up her arm, presumably from the accident.

"I'll give it a shot, for Belle."

The Savior went to her friend's bedside, and gingerly took the unmoving hand. The full extent of her injuries were now in view. Tears glistened in her eyes at the state of her.

"Belle, I'm so sorry this happened to you," she whispered so only Belle could hear, if she could hear her, "I'm going to try to make this right but you have to do your part. Keep fighting to stay here. Fight for your love, fight for your son. You have to want to stay. So please, fight with me."

And with that last request, Emma gently put Belle's hand down. She walked up to her head and hovered her right hand over the dying woman's face. Emma reached deep into her soul, where her light magic came from. Her hands began to glow and she could feel her magic pulse. She concentrated as hard as she could, harder than she ever had before. Emma didn't know what she was waiting for, what sign would show if she were successful, so she kept going. All she could see now was the white glow from her magic, it had completely enveloped her view. Suddenly dark spots were beginning to form and she felt as if she were falling.

The last she would remember was a familiar embrace catching her before she hit the ground and hearing someone call out her name before she completely blacked out.

 **Thank you so much for reading! I'm so sorry it took so long for me to post again, my July was insane. I hope this made up for it, it's a lot of exposition I know. But I swear it's all going to make sense. I also want to say, we learned a lot from ComicCon, namely that my storyline that I'm following isn't really close to canon, especially when it comes to Henry's wife (whom we now know is a new version of Cinderella?). I'm going to keep going with my storyline of Henry and Astrid, because I really love the background story I came up with for them which will be further revealed soon.**

 **As always, please please feel free to give advice/tips/things you'd like to see/constructive criticisms either via DM or as a review. I reserve the right to delete a review from an anon who doesn't give me the option to respond to it.**


	8. Chapter 8

If there was one thing that Elizabeth didn't anticipate for when she was kidnapped (not that anyone really anticipates being kidnapped) it was the boredom. She spent the day in the simple cell trying very hard not to go mad. She had found a scrap of brick that she used to count the days. By her count, looking over her dashes on the wall, she had been in that hell for ten whole days.

All she could think about was her family, and how she could get back to them. She didn't have much as far as resources went. The cell had the straw pallet, at her request the Dark One had left a small blanket for her on day 5. The window was paned, which with the upcoming winter she was grateful for that small fortune. Unfortunately, she was stuck for now wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the night she was taken, a long sleeved but flowy shirt with a deeper "v" that she had borrowed from one of her more salacious friends, and tight trousers that were now scuffed up and torn. Her clothes were quite dirty and growing more uncomfortable by the hour.

At least she was being fed. Rumple brought her a roll of bread and thin soup twice a day. She thought to herself, maybe today when he brings her breakfast she could offer to cook in exchange for new clothes. She knew Belle lived in the castle at some point, and therefore there had to be women's clothing somewhere in the place.

But as she heard Rumple coming up the stairs, her heart stopped as she heard someone arguing with him all the way up. At first she strained at the door to hear who it was. Who had come to save her? But as she heard the shrill voice and unique accent, her sudden optimism turned to fear.

She heard Rumple's voice, "You don't tell me what to do, dearie, I have my own plans. Now why don't you look at my insurance policy that I retrieved for us."

"It had better be good," an eerily familiar woman's voice said as she opened the door, "for you to have shown our hand that their ridiculous plan had actually failed…"

Elizabeth scurried out of the way as the door flew open and in swept a tall figure clad totally in black.

The woman, who's skin shone a sickly color of green sized up the young girl and gave a smirk, "Hello there, darling, now who might you be?"

Emma had told her daughter about the Wicked Witch. She had always struggled trying to be good, and finally failed for the last time when she teamed up with Rumplestilskin to help him exact his revenge on the Charmings. She was banished to Oz and made to think that Regina had escaped with Robyn to another realm. In actuality, Robin was raised as a princess by Regina in the First Kingdom.

Elizabeth's father had never allowed her to be all that close with Zelena's daughter who was a few years older than Elizabeth herself. He never trusted the light blue eyes that Robin had inherited. Emma once confided to her daughter she suspected it was not just the resemblance to Zelena that spooked Killian, but that of Robin's grandmother, Cora, as well.

Regina raised Robin herself as well as she could alongside the little girl's half-brother Roland. But the girl still wondered about her mother. Eventually she convinced Regina to allow her a visit with Zelena.

Elizabeth had been twelve at the time, Robin was sixteen. The "visit" went disastrously. Zelena had been searching for a way to return to Storybrooke from Oz, unawares that she was searching for the wrong realm. She had no way of knowing that shortly after her banishment, that the Final Battle (or so they had thought) of Rumplestilskin would see everyone returning to their original realm. Once the First Kingdom made contact, it was simple for the Wicked Witch to descend on the Enchanted Forest. And the Second Kingdom was her first stop.

It had been just four years, but she could still feel the hatred seeping through her as the witch approached her.

Her green nose was inches from Elizabeth's as she studied her face, "So obviously a Charming…" she murmured, "you could be a younger Snow if it wasn't for your eyes." Eye contact only allowed for Elizabeth to glare defiantly at her captor.

But Zelena simply laughed, "Those eyes give you away darling, they have spat enough hatred at me for a lifetime. Tell me, how is the dear Captain?"

She figured that out quick, Elizabeth thought, but stayed unresponsive.

Giggling, Zelena continued, "I tried to kill him once, you know. He wouldn't listen to my instructions. I told him to take away your mother's magic by kissing her. He was such a bad boy he walked right into my trap and I was able to curse his lips when he confessed his love… But he stayed away from her to keep her magic…He forgot a flaw of your hero mummy's, that she would do anything for those she cares for. I drowned him, and your mother did kiss him to save him…such a shame her magic didn't stay away, it would have made everything so much easier for me…"

Elizabeth's hatred was rising by the moment as the witch described the way she had cursed her father using something he held most precious: his love for Emma, and then forced her mother to choose between her gift and his life. She knew the story well of Neal's birth, every Charming birth was marked by a tragedy of some kind. Except hers as far as she knew.

As she paced, Zelena suddenly noticed the cuff and roughly grabbed the girl's arm, "So, you have it too do you? Inherited some light magic from Mummy?"

"Why don't you take this cuff off me and I'll show you, witch." Elizabeth spat defiantly.

"Nu-uh," Zelena gripped her throat with magic, raising her from the ground, "you listen to me, little princess. Where is my daughter, my Robyn?"

Elizabeth glared through her choking, not wanting to show weakness, but Zelena let go a moment to allow her the chance to answer.

Oxygen choked through her lungs and as she gained her voice she growled, "You're too late…She ran away years ago, she was ashamed…ashamed to be the daughter of a wicked murderer."

And with a scream, Zelena threw her against the wall, the wall with the window. Elizabeth cried out in pain as she heard heard the window pane shatter and felt the glass pierce her back and neck and fall on her as she fell to the ground, just barely having time to protect her face with her arms.

She pretended to be knocked out as she heard Rumple come quickly in, curious of what he would do.

"What the hell went on in here?"

Zelena snorted, "Nothing of value, your pet here is still learning her place Rumple."

Elizabeth heard his footsteps get closer, and chancing a peek she saw he was leaning over her unmoving body, "You didn't kill her did you? The Charmings will be much less motivated to fulfil our plans if she's dead."

"Oh don't you worry, I didn't throw her against the window that hard." Zelena said, rolling her eyes.

Rumplestilskin waved his hand and Elizabeth felt a wave of relief, he had healed her.

"Was that necessary?"

Rumple took a deep breath, "Well, you may not have thrown her against the wall hard enough to break her neck, but there was enough glass for her to bleed to death. So if you could please not kill my ticket to my revenge, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"I thought you needed her blood anyways to…" and Zelena was cut off. And moments later they were both out of the room, leaving Elizabeth lying prone and wondering what Zelena meant by needing her blood.

When she was sure they had gone, she sat up, still sore and covered in blood. She checked her arms for scratches and suddenly noticed that the force of Zelena's magic had caused a rip in the cuff. It was practically hanging off of her now. She took a deep breath and a leap of faith and took a remaining piece of glass and with a single swipe, the cuff was off.

She could feel her magic pulse again and it was like a welcome friend. Her light magic came from true love and it felt like a warm blanket engulfing her in hope. But what to do? Rumple would soon notice, and there was no way for her to escape with her magic, she had seen the dome. Looking down at the glass shard in her hand, she realized there was one thing she could do.

 _Storybrooke – years ago_

As Emma came to, she heard the beeps of the machines attached to her and felt the tightening of Killian's hand on hers.

"Emma?" he sounded exhausted, "Emma, love, please open your eyes."

She obliged, but it took a couple seconds in the blinding overhead light for the dark blob to morph into her husband. Her very relieved looking husband. Hook's eyes were red as if he'd been crying, or drinking, or both.

"There you are, love," Killian reached out and stroked her face, "you scared the barnacles off me, Swan."

Emma coughed, trying to speak, and he reached to the side table and grabbed a cup of water he'd had ready to go. After taking a long drink, she finally was able to croak, "How long was I out?"

He took a deep breath, "Almost three days, thankfully I caught you before you hit the floor, Whale said that it would have been a lot worse."

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

He looked at her hard, "Regina thinks you were using too much energy, healing takes a lot out of someone because you're literally transferring your energy from one soul to another. You were trying so hard that you gave too much and collapsed. We're lucky…" he cut off and looked down, obviously the memories quite painful.

Emma reached out and took his hand, "Hey," and brought it to her heart, "still beating. I'm sorry I keep putting you through this."

Killian shook his head, "It's not you, it's just…another day in Storybrooke."

She narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

"Come now, Emma, think about it. I buy a ring to propose and suddenly you drop that you were having premonitions of your death. We get married and you get run through right in front of me…We start talking about starting a family, something that in over two centuries I never thought I'd be able to have, and I watch you almost kill yourself, trying to save a friend."

That reminded Emma of the reason she was there in the first place, "Wait, Belle! Did it…?" Her eyes were wide, watching Killian's reaction.

"You healed all her physical wounds," he said quietly, "all the cuts and broken bones are fixed, it looks as if nothing had ever happened. The Crocodile says she looks as young as she did when they first met."

Emma's eyes filled with tears at what he wasn't saying, "But?"

One of the things she loved about her husband was his infallible ability to tell her the truth, even when it was difficult. And this time, he didn't disappoint, "She didn't wake up, Emma. Whale said she's in a…a comb?"  
"Coma," Emma corrected. In any other circumstance she would have made fun of him for his lack of modern knowledge, but she was too focused on Belle, "What about Gold?"

"He took the boy home," Killian said, "and he's been holed up ever since. No one knows what his plan is, but my bet is it isn't good…"

"Emma!" a relieved voice exclaimed from the doorway. Emma looked up and saw her mother with her eyes wide with happiness. Without another word, Snow dashed to her daughter and took her in a warm hug.

"Hey Mom," Emma said, giving her mother as much a smile as she could when she pulled away.

Snow took Emma's face in her hands, "You gave me quite a scare there young lady, and right after the Final Battle? You can't do that to a pregnant woman, or poor Killian for that matter!" While she was berating her, Emma could tell that her mother wasn't serious thanks to the big smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Emma said, sighing deeply, "it didn't even work."

Snow's smile faded and she nodded, "There's still hope though, brains might just take longer to heal and that's why she hasn't woken up."

Trying to smile, Emma grimaced and said, "Yeah, maybe."

"It's not your fault, Emma," Killian said quietly from his seat next to her bed.

Emma looked into his eyes, "I know…I just hope Gold doesn't forget that."

 **What's Elizabeth going to do with her magic? ;) you'll have to see. Please keep up the reviews and the DM's, I really do appreciate your feedback and encouragement going forward. I surpassed 1,000 views on the last chapter! That's probably not very much but hey, it means that this fic that I've been developing for a long time is being read (and hopefully enjoyed) by others. Thanks again for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Emma was starting to realize how much work her parents actually did during the day as king and queen. There were meetings with generals on a daily basis, functions she had to attend, and of course the daily audiences with the people. She was grateful she'd had years of watching Snow and David carefully and wisely guide their kingdom. Without their example, she would have no clue how to handle some of the issues brought to her attention.

It also helped they weren't far away when advice was necessary. On the tenth day since Elizabeth had been taken, Emma went to her father's room looking for some of that advice. She had tried taking each day at a time, but all of the usual support she usually leaned on was elsewhere. And she was beginning to feel like she was drowning.

Everyone had their task to do. Killian was out trying to track down Gideon, of all people. According to Henry, it took a lot to convince Hook to consider bringing Gold and Belle's son into the fold, but Emma knew that it would be the right choice. Despite her unique history with the young man, she had seen him grow up with Elizabeth. Killian did not approve of the boy growing up anywhere near his precious little girl, but Emma had talked him down and the two had grown up close. Quite close. Close enough to where the pair's final interaction had resulted in a meltdown on Killian's part. A meltdown that was difficult to explain to his daughter as they had never told her about the time Gideon had nearly succeeded in killing her mother.

Snow was in her own world trying to care for Charming. With Reginald, an Enchanted Forest equivalent of a medical student, and Ruth at her side they cared for Charming every day. Even though Regina had healed him, the sword had damaged much and for some reason he wasn't completely healed. No one knew why.

As Emma opened the door, she saw the usual scene from the past week and a half. Her father struggling to sit up on the side of the bed. Ruth and her mother at his side with Reginald encouraging him to stand. He had yet to actually do so. It was always the four of them, working at it. Emma check in every day, Neal less than her. Her middle brother had been on guard duty the night her father was attacked and his niece taken. Everyone could tell he blamed himself, but no one, not even his mother could convince him it wasn't his fault. But that guilt was something Emma knew well enough and knew his reasons. Neal and his buddy Powell had been the first of the guards to come across David as he lay dying. That isn't something you just get over.

All present Charmings looked up at the sound of her entering and she was greeted with weary smiles.

"Emma," David's greeting was the brightest, "what can we do for you?" He obviously was sick of being taken care of. The king wasn't used to the kind of attention he was getting and much preferred being the helper, not the helped.

She came over to the group and gave each a hug, finishing with her father. As she sat down in a chair across from the bed, she told them what Henry had told her.

They all silently listened until she got to the part about Gideon, and she could hear her mother coarsely exhale at the boy's name. Although boy might be the wrong word, he was now nineteen years old. After his seventeenth birthday, he said he wanted to travel the realms and escape his father's legacy.

After some silence, David asked, "How will they find him?"

"Henry says that he has a way, Gideon wanted to be able to contact him in case something went wrong," Emma replied.

"And why again is he the one best equipped to help her?" her mother asked tersely. Snow was choosing her words very carefully, just as Elizabeth didn't know the family's history with Gideon, neither did any of the three younger Charmings.

"He's Gold's son," Emma pressed, "he's the only one who can get to the castle."

"Gideon's always been nice!" Ruth interjected naively, "Mom, I think he will help us!"

But Snow's eyes stayed on her eldest daughter, speaking low, "Henry is of his blood as well, why can't he get in?"

"Gold would never let his hostage's older brother into the castle," Emma argued lightly.

"I agree with Emma," David said, his voice still as strong as his body refused to be. He gave her an encouraging smile, "We have to use every avenue to get Elizabeth back."

"Thanks Dad," Emma said, trying to smile but only a grimace emerged and she felt the need to change the subject, "now, how is the standing going?"

"Very well, he sat up and moved himself to the edge of the bed with practically no pain!" Ruth proclaimed proudly.

"Now we just have to get him to use his legs before they go to waste," Reg said quietly.

"I heard you, son," David said, looking at his youngest with some exasperation, "I've just been in bed all these days, it's hard to grab the energy."

"The more you spend in bed, Dad, the harder it will be," Reg retorted.

"Let's just try one more time for now, David," Snow said, trying to keep the peace.

"Alright," David said. Emma could see the determination in his face as he leaned forward, bent his elbows and pushed.

"Come on, Dad," she whispered as she watched the muscles tense and he began to stand.

Her eyes widened, "You're doing it!"

The enthusiasm dropped the moment his knees began to bend and he pitched forward. In what felt like slow motion she moved to try to catch him, but Ruthie was faster. Suddenly there was a flash of light that came from her little sister's hands. When Emma looked up, she saw David standing tall, checking himself.

"What the hell was that?" Emma heard herself ask, eyes wide.

All eyes went to Ruth, who was bent over the bed, out of breath.

David, obviously concerned, put his hand on her shoulder, "Sweetheart," he asked gently, "was that?"

"Magic," Ruth exhaled as she tried catching her breath. With the help of her twin she sat down on the bed.

Once she felt up to it, she explained to her confused family, "I've been healing people since I was five. Neal fell out of a tree we were climbing and when I came down I just felt this urge to put my hand on his leg...there was a flash of light and he didn't feel pain anymore. But..." She looked at David guiltily, "My price of magic is that the energy I can transfer is my own, whatever I give I lose. When I healed Neal's leg, I just felt a little light headed. Broken bones are easy, giving someone the strength to get up is nothing."

Snow was taking it all in until she thought of something, "What about something more serious?"

Ruth couldn't look either parent in the eye, "I…I thought I was going to lose you. I was so scared. I wanted to save you, Daddy, I thought maybe if you had enough energy that you would wake up. But I wasn't strong enough."

"That's when you passed out," Reginald said quietly, "you were trying to save him?"

"You could have died!" Snow exclaimed, "Ruth we could have lost both of you!"

"But you didn't," Ruth retorted, and looked up at Emma who had been silent as of yet, "I will do anything to protect this family."

It suddenly all made sense. When the four youngest royals were children, they played rough. Neal in particular was the most daring when it came to climbing trees or holding his breath underwater the longest. And yet they never seemed to walk away from it with more than a bad scratch. But Ruthie had always been quiet and not as active. Emma realized she must have been sacrificing her energy for her older brothers' and Elizabeth's safety, a very Charming way to go about it.

"That isn't your burden to bear," she said quietly.

"I am of age and a princess of the realm," Ruth replied calmly, "I have a duty to use my gift for good as you do."

Pride shone in Snow's eyes as she hugged Ruth, who returned it in full, "And you will."

The rest of the afternoon Emma watched as her father, who was now at full strength, easily walked around the room. But Reginald urged him not to push it, so they ate dinner as a family in the chamber. Neal even joined after his shift and Charming tried cheering him up by rising himself, with no assistance, and giving his son a strong embrace. Tears reflected in the middle son's eyes as he saw his father walk towards him, healthy and no longer the broken creature he had come across that night.

When Emma returned to her rooms, she once again felt so alone. She needed Killian. Watching her sister tell their parents of her powers and seeing their acceptance was too much for her. She wished she could have had that moment with Elizabeth. What were her Little Swan's range of power anyways? Was it more specialized like Ruth's or Henry's or general like her own?

As she sat and thought of her daughter, it was almost like she could hear Elizabeth's voice calling for her. It was not fair, she thought as the voice echoed.

"Mommy…Mommy…"

 _The Dark Castle_

A thought consumed Elizabeth as she looked at the large piece of glass in her hands. Concentrating hard through her pain and grogginess, she thought of her mother, of Emma. She imagined her mother sitting in her parent's ornate room in the palace, when suddenly she saw her!

Emma was alone in her and Killian's large quarters in the castle. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking sad and lost. Wary of the echoes down the stairs, she called softly to her, "Mommy…Mommy…"

At first she thought Emma couldn't hear her, she made no movement. Then she said, "Mom, can you hear me?"

Her mother's head instantly perked up and looked around wildly for the origin of the voice. "The mirror," Elizabeth coaxed softly.

She could tell the moment her mother saw her, "Elizabeth," Emma's voice cracked as her eyes filled with tears as she stumbled to her vanity, desperately grabbing the gilded sides of the mirror, "is that you?" She gasped, "What has he done to you?"

"Yes, it's me, I'm ok," Elizabeth reassured her quietly, realizing her head was probably still caked with blood "Mom, I'm so sorry I snuck out..."

"Don't worry about that," Emma said, "where are you?"

"The Dark Castle, I think, he's got me in a tower, and it looks like he has put a protection spell around the tower…I don't know if I can get out with my magic, I'm not strong enough."

"Your dad and Henry are looking for a way to find you," Emma reassured, "Don't give up, kid, we are going to bring you home."

Elizabeth said, looking back quickly, "I think I hear him coming. Be careful, Mommy, he's working wi…no!"

In the shard she saw Rumplestilskin walk behind her and suddenly the glass in her hand turned to dust.

"You little fool," his cruel voice grumbled behind her, "what did you tell her?"

She did not reply. In a flash, he was in front of her and pulled her up by the front of her shirt, "What did you tell them?"

His frustration mounting, he threw her back to the ground. Using his magic, he returned the cuff to her wrist and added an additional chain that wrapped around her leg.

"No dinner tonight for you," he said quietly, "if I don't get the answers I want by tomorrow, there will be worse punishments."

And in a huff, he left, slamming the door behind him.

In reality, she knew she had not given her mother much more information than Emma had likely sorted for herself. But Rumple was never one to be so uncomfortable and Elizabeth was going to use that discomfort and uncertainty to her advantage.

No matter what he did to her.


	10. Chapter 10

Hook was beginning to hate travel by horse. Every form of travel took some getting used to, for sure. He'd had more than a few green sailors lose their rations over the bow of the Jolly thanks to sea sickness. During his first experience in an automobile he definitely felt queasy and uncomfortable. Then again, that was in the back of a van as a prisoner courtesy of Greg and Tamara. Previously he had enjoyed many a good trek on his steed, named Mast, with Emma. But spending days on a horse was doing murder on his backside.

But the image of his daughter remained in his mind, keeping him going through any discomfort. He had been having dreams. It was a familiar scene, a place he had been before. A tower, guarded by a black knight. He and Henry, who was suddenly fourteen again, got past the guard using the "Old Wookie Trick". But instead of staying down to take care of the guard, he went up a winding staircase and forced open a wooden door. On the ground was a woman lying prone on a stone floor, a chain stretching from an anchor in the floor to under her large midnight blue ball gown. But when the woman looked up, it wasn't Emma as it had been in Issac's book, the woman had wavy raven hair and his ocean blue eyes. Elizabeth's face lit up as she recognized him and he ran to take her in his arms. He told her how much he loved her, but before she could reply he realized he was holding air. The Crocodile's giggle rang out throughout the chamber, and Killian jolted awake as dragon fire engulfed the room.

Three nights in a row he'd had this dream, ever since they had begun the search for Gideon. It must be the stress, he told himself. He missed Emma, he missed his daughter and wanted his family together again. And it killed him to think that the best way to find his girl was to go to a man he did not trust. Gideon and Elizabeth were close growing up, while Gideon was being raised by his grandfather, despite Killian's wishes. Emma had made a promise to Belle to help Gideon grow up well, and insisted. But Hook always noticed that Gideon paid a large amount of special attention to his daughter and it never failed to produce an argument with his wife.

When Gideon left at eighteen, he had spoken with Henry, his only living relative after his grandfather had passed away, to ensure someone knew where he was. Henry gave him a two way mirror that all Gideon had to do was speak into the mirror and Henry would be able to answer, and vice versa.

Killian intently watched Henry tell Gideon the news, and he had been satisfied with the younger man's reaction being legitimate. Gideon sounded very concerned for Elizabeth's safety and offered to help as much as he could. He told Henry where he was, and where he could find the portal to get to him. Unfortunately, it wasn't an area Henry could poof to, as it was in Camelot. After the wars between Camelot and Misthaven, it would not bode well for Henry to be seen using his magic within their borders. So they disguised themselves and traveled as quickly as they could.

"Henry!" he called out, "Let's rest here for the night."

They made a small fire in the wood, far enough from the road as Henry used his magic to conceal them with branches from the ground. When that was complete, they sat and talked. Three days together left them without very much to talk about, except for Henry regaling Killian with his adventures as the Author.

He was in the middle of telling Killian about a pirate captain named Jack Sparrow when a flash of light in the middle of their camp burst through. Both men sprung up, swords in hand, until they recognized the woman with the long blonde hair before them.

"Emma!"

"Mom?"

Tears reflected on Emma's face as she ran into Killian's arms, she was holding a mirror that he recognized as being from her vanity in their chambers. He held her close as she sobbed, wondering what could possibly have upset her so much, and fearing the worst.

"Emma," he whispered as he looked up at an equally concerned Henry, "what happened?"

Pulling away from him just enough so she could see his face, Emma blurted out, "I saw her, I talked to her."

Killian stiffened, "You saw Elizabeth? Where? In the mirror? How did she manage…"

"Her magic is strong, and Gold was trying to control it I'm sure but somehow she got through to me. She is definitely at the Dark Castle in a tower there. But…" the rambling only stopped for a moment as a fresh wave of tears flowed, "She was caught."

Hook's heart began to race, "Caught? By him?"

She nodded, "I don't know what he'll do to punish her. She…" Emma looked down as if she was remembering something particularly painful, "she said he was working with someone, and that we should be careful."

His eyes shut as he let out a sigh. Elizabeth was so like Charming in personality. Whenever the children got into trouble, she always was the first to take the blame, even when it could never have been her. Whenever she saw injustice in the world she felt the need to help. It was so like her to think to warn her family. Despite the situation, he couldn't be more proud.

"She used the time she had to warn us…" Henry said thoughtfully, "Did she say anything about how to get her out?"

Emma shook her head, "She didn't think she'd be able to get herself out, even though for some reason she was now able to use her magic. I think the castle is cloaked somehow."

"Thankfully, you have someone who can get inside." A familiar voice rose from outside the concealing branches. A voice that made Killian's blood run hot and feel the instinct to get in front of his wife, an instinct which he fought.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Henry straighten up and allow a figure to pass through the barrier. A tall and thin young man came into view. He had a very sharp jaw line, beady eyes, and long hair that was presently quite popular in Camelot.

"Your highnesses," Gideon greeted, giving a slight bow of his head, "Now, what has my father done?"

Storybrooke – Years ago

Emma waited impatiently as she looked at the little white stick on her bathroom sink. All kinds of thoughts ran through her head, not the least of which wondering whether or not something was wrong with her. It had only been four months of trying, but after four months of her cycle continuing and negative pregnancy tests she was beginning to become discouraged. She knew Killian didn't mind it one bit, as he no longer had to use the "stretchy mood killer" during their love making.

Her phone's timer went off, two minutes had passed. She took a deep breath and flipped over the test.

Negative. No baby.

Her heart sank again. She needed the win. There were more and more people becoming restless about the Dark One, who had not been seen for a week. They wanted to know what Gold was planning. The pawn shop had been closed and Rumple had not been around collecting rent despite it being the end of the month.

All hands were on deck looking for Rumple, all three sheriffs. But he and the boy had vanished without a trace.

Belle was still in her coma, and in the past few months no progress had been made whatsoever. And Rumple had become more secluded. Emma didn't ever even see him come and go from the hospital as his only form of transportation was now poofing.

As she stared at the negative test, a knock on the door awoke her from her thoughts, and a soft voice came from the other side, "Emma, love, you alright in there?"

Emma hesitated, but fighting the urge to keep her feelings hidden she opened the door to a concerned Killian.

She held up the test, "Negative again."

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Ah well, the doctor said these things can take time, love. Besides," he snuck closer and closer to her, devilish smile on his face, "it gives us another month of certain enjoyable activities."

She laughed as his eyebrows danced suggestively and she could feel her tensions melt away. Killian always seemed to know how to put her stresses in perspective. Then she remembered, "Aren't you supposed to be on patrol?"

Killian grimaced, "Yeah, Regina called, there's a lead on Gold."

Lights and sirens blazing, they reached the cemetery and ran together to Regina's vault where the mayor and her sister were standing, concerned looks on both their faces.

"Regina," Emma greeted, "what's going on?"

Her friend seethed, "Gold broke into my vault. I had a barrier to all my more powerful ingredients and he smashed right through it somehow without even tripping my wards."

"Did he take anything?" Killian pressed worriedly.

"What didn't he take?" Zelena retorted, "the man took half the bloody stores."

Emma's eyes furrowed, "What is he trying to build up his own ingredients?"

Regina shook her head, "No, Rumple is smarter than that. He has plenty of potion components on his own. From what I remember that shop of his had a lot of what he took. I think he took more than he needed to mask what he really wanted."

"Which was?" Emma asked.

Regina and Zelena exchanged looks, and Regina replied in a low voice, "I think he took the Fate's shears."

 **2,000+ views! I am so incredibly honored for people to even consider reading my stuff. If you like what you see but have some suggestions, I'm always ready to hear them! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update again, but I've been really trying to make sure I give enough background to the storyline I have created for these characters.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Tell me!" Rumplestilskin's voice howled in Elizabeth's mind.

She didn't know how he did it, but he was in her head. It was the middle of the night, just hours after Elizabeth had made contact with her mother. It had started low, with just whispers telling her to tell him what she told Emma. Other voices joined him, male and female. They threatened her family. They claimed they could strip her mother and father of their inexplicable immortality. They taunted her with the demise of her grandfather. They told her it was time for the Author to be replaced by force.

She fought back, instead focusing on her mother's face. Emma looked devastated, but the shard of glass could not dull her beauty and no sorrow could blunt her determination. She didn't focus on the words she herself had said, she feared if Rumple could infiltrate her mind like so that he could hear her thoughts. She just focused on Emma's message. Dad and Henry, they were looking for her. Hopefully the two were getting along. Henry had always been weary towards his stepfather for some reason. Well, Elizabeth now knew why to some degree. She had read some of Henry's book. Last year she had been babysitting her niece, Lucy, when she came across an open book with a very familiar face. It was Killian's story, before he had met Emma and become a hero. It had explained why he preferred the moniker of "Captain".

As she successfully ignored the voices, they became more shrill and eventually she heard a crack that was certainly not in her head and felt a flick of a finger on her forehead. She opened her eyes to a frustrated Rumple in her face.

"Good Morning," she said quietly, knowing her casual attitude would frustrate him.

Her impudence bought her a creepy smile, "Sleep well?" he inquired falsely.

"Well I would've but it sounded like someone was having a pity party in my head," she replied, testing him.

He took the bait, "Well I have something that might help you sleep…"

And with a wave of his hand she was out cold once more. Zelena walked into the room and saw the girl lying in the awkward position.

"You're such a hypocrite, Rumple, what have you done to the girl?"

Rumple just stared at his prisoner, "She's just asleep, and when she wakes she's going to tell me everything."

"Why, what did you do?"

"She's going to remember everything about her life she wishes she could forget. As if she was right there again."

Elizabeth opened her eyes at the familiar cry of a seagull and looked around. She was taken aback as it took very little time determining where she was… she was in the Second Kingdom's prized harbor.

"Mister Smee!" a commanding voice rose from above her, "Prepare for docking!"

"Aye, Captain!" a plump man with a candy red beanie bustled past her, echoing her father's call, "Prepare for docking you bilge ra…"

"Smee! Must I remind you who is onboard?"

"Apologies Cap'n, forgot… Prepare for docking you…men!"

A giggle escaped behind Elizabeth and as she turned she was taken aback as she saw her younger self. She then realized what was happening, and knew exactly what moment he had taken her back to. Dread filled her as she saw herself working on the rigging, looking back up at her father who looked thrilled as ever to see his little girl enjoy sailing as much as he.

Suddenly something caught her younger self's eye, and Elizabeth's nightmare began.

"Look Daddy," she pointed, "a flock of birds!"

The ever attentive Hook looked up from his place by the ship's wheel. As he squinted to get a better look at the flock, a memory flashed before him. He was back to a cold day in Storybrooke Harbor, not with his daughter but Henry. Killian and older Elizabeth knew what was heading towards them, and they were no birds.

"Mayday!" he yelled to the crew, "Sound the alarm, we are about to come under attack! We have to warn the castle!"

His daughter suddenly became frightened as the usually relaxed sailors around her began a flurry of preparations, trying to turn the ship around to the harbor. The ship's loud alarm bell began to ring in her ears, only heightening her sense of panic. Suddenly she realized her father was no longer at the helm and her eyes searched the deck, "Daddy!"

Her panic was relieved a moment later when Killian's face emerged from the melee and pulled her into his arms, "We have to get you below deck," he said quietly. Elizabeth could detect the faint hint of distress in his voice and simply nodded. Hook held his little girl close to him as he roughly pushed back the rushing sailors and finally reached the Captain's quarters. Older Elizabeth followed every movement, not feeling the crowd as she felt pulled along with her younger self. It was her memory, she couldn't go far.

After determining the door was sufficiently bolted, Killian bent down to his daughter's level, "Are you alright?" he asked concerned, checking her for any injuries.

She nodded, "Yes, I'm alright. What are those things, Daddy?" she asked, curious, "Why is everyone so afraid?"

His face darkened, and he took a deep breath, "They're monkeys, Elizabeth, flying monkeys. Do you remember whose story had those?"

Her eyes widened, "The Wicked Witch?" She tried to hold back her fear at the name from her bedtime stories, "She's here?"

The former pirate could not bear seeing his daughter so frightened, and took her into an embrace, "I will never let her hurt you, or our family," he whispered. Older Elizabeth couldn't help but be warmed by her father's bravery, she could see he was frightened but she had never noticed it before.

That's when the shouts of battle and cries of wounded began to erupt from the deck and he drew his sword.

"Hello, Captain." a heavily accented voice dripping with condescension came from by the window.

A woman had appeared from nowhere. She had flaming red hair and beautiful pale blue eyes. But that wasn't all, her skin was sickly green. And Elizabeth knew exactly who she was.

"Zelena," Killian growled, pushing Elizabeth behind him and holding his sword towards the witch's neck, "what do you want?"

She giggled, "Ah Captain, always so straightforward…so, so boring. Should I even still be calling you that, by the way?" The witch began to pace the room, but Killian kept his daughter behind him at all times, shielding her from whatever Zelena may try.

Zelena just kept talking, "I mean are you a prince or still a bloody pirate? Why keep this hunk of driftwood when you have all _that_ ," she pointed in the direction of the castle, "Or is the princess not quite doing it for you?"

"What do you want, Zelena?" Killian said again, the dig at Emma getting to him.

Her face went from playful to anger in a heartbeat, "What I deserve," she spat, walking towards him, "I want my daughter back. I've spent years trying to get back to the Land Without Magic, only to find out that my daughter, my precious little girl has been HERE this ENTIRE TIME." In her rage she sent his looking glass, which had been sitting on the table, flying across the room. The sound of it crashing against the ship's walls causing Elizabeth to whimper in fright and press more into her father's back.

When she heard the girl cry out, it was as if Zelena just noticed the child.

Suddenly she was back to playful, "Now who is this?" her sickly sweet voice asked.

Killian's sword went to her neck, "You know I will do it," he said quietly, "you need to go."

"Ooh so touchy… and such a pretty little girl…So you know what I mean, pirate," she spat, "I'm guessing by that face and those eyes this is your own little product of True Love. Well I'm sure while you find my daughter you won't mind if I borrow yours…"

Killian looked behind him and all he saw was a puff of green smoke and Elizabeth was no longer behind her father, but standing in front of Zelena.

"No!" Killian cried.

"HEY!" another woman's voice entered the cabin and relief shot through Killian, he'd recognized that voice anywhere. Emma had found them.

Suddenly Zelena was being blasted back by the characteristic bright force of Emma's light magic and Elizabeth, free from the witch's clutches, was running to her parents.

Emma took her daughter in both arms, and felt Hook around them both. Before anyone could move, she released another pulse of bright light and suddenly they were all in the rose garden of the castle.

Elizabeth looked around her and saw more soldiers than she could count in full battle gear. It was as if they were preparing for war. She looked back as her mother fussed over her younger self.

"Are you ok?" Emma bent down and took her daughter to her as tightly as she could.

"I'm ok, Mommy." Elizabeth said through her mother's blonde hair.

She could hear her father asking her, "How did you…?"

"I saw the skies…it was like…" Emma whispered.

"It was…" Hook said grimly, "almost exactly."

"Take her to the tower," she heard her mother say quietly, still holding her girl close to her, comfortingly stroking her raven hair as she rose to meet his eyes, "you'll both be safe there. I'll put up a protection spell…"

"I'm not leaving you," Hook protested, "I can't just sit by and watch you fight her, what if…"

"Killian please," Emma begged, taking his face in her hands, "she knows my weaknesses, if I know you are safe then I will be able to focus on defeating her. I'm the only one who can, please…" she lightly stroked his cheek with her thumb, "I can't go through what happened last time again…please…"

Elizabeth knew how hard this was for her father, he hated being separated from Emma, and in the later wars that she remembered he always insisted on being at his true love's side. But this time he did not argue. Resigned to his role, Killian leaned in and kissed Emma deeply, wrapping his hand and hook around her waist as tightly as he could, pulling her in. Elizabeth looked away, hearing him whisper, "Be careful, love."

"I will," Emma's voice was almost a whisper, "I will never stop fighting, for either of you."

In the midst of all the chaos around them, the pair held each other in silence, foreheads lightly touching. These two, more than most, knew how anything could happen.

"Elizabeth," the girl's head whipped back to her mother's voice. Emma looked so sad, but still determined. She bent down and took her daughter into a deep hug, holding her head, "Be good for your daddy, I'll be back with you before you know it!" She kissed her daughter's black hair and sent them to the highest tower.

Elizabeth walked dutifully up every stair of the tallest tower silently, with her father by her side. Older Elizabeth remembered walking these steps and only thinking of her mother fighting that witch. As she looked at her father, she realized he was probably thinking the same thing. His face was that of pure agony and she was glad that she did not complain about the trek up the many stairs. She knew this was not the time to complain or think of herself. She knew the stories of Zelena's past. The witch was not one to be trifled with, and most of her family's history with her seemed to be riddled with fatalities. Baelfire. Robin Hood. Maid Marian. The final fatality that had caused her banishment: August (aka Pinocchio), who had discovered her dealings with the Dark One before her banishment back to Oz.

Once they reached the highest tower, they were not alone. Neal, Reginald, and Ruth were already in the tower setting up their cots. Neal seemed to be seething, he was so close to being of age and had argued with his father for the chance to protect his kingdom. But David had refused and so Neal, at the pleading of his mother and elder sister, sulked in the protection with the rest of the family members. Also among them was a very pregnant Astrid, who sat with Ruthie while Reg tried to cheer his elder brother. Killian wasn't the only adult, as all the dwarves, non military guards, and other castle staff were sheltering there as well. It was good he was there, a representative of the elder royalty, a hero to all of them.

When Killian determined all had made it to the tower, he gave the signal out the window. Suddenly, the tower was blanketed by a sheet of white light coming over the window. No breaths of relief were released, though. They all knew the truth, they were safe now but it came with a terrible footnote: they were safe as long as Emma lived.

Minutes later the battle commenced.

Elizabeth had watched the whole thing from one of the small windows, her tense father at her side. He knew their family was a prime target, and never left her during the two-day siege, likely never sleeping either. As Zelena was usually defeated by light magic, Emma was on the front lines of the battle with Zelena and her new army of flying monkeys.

Flashes of light erupted from the ant sized blips she knew were fighters. Her father had helped her determine whose flashes were whom. The flashes of bright white were her mother, purple was Regina, Henry's an orange, and Zelena's was a smokey green. At one point she noticed her mother and Zelena were in heated battle when suddenly a puff of green enveloped the blip that was Zelena and suddenly everything stopped.

"What happened?" her father whispered, knowing no one who could hear him had the answer.

But they still had to wait, and no one wanted to test the protection spell. A sense of dread enveloped the tower. Elizabeth sat with her aunt and uncles while her father paced. Older Elizabeth just sat with them, the worst anticipation of the news about to walk through that door eating away at her. It was the torture Rumple had intended.

Minutes felt like days before the door finally opened, and the first family members began to return. Hook's face fell a bit further when each person who came in was not Emma. The first to return were the King and Queen who were welcomed with cheers from the crowd and almost instantly became enveloped by their three younger children. Elizabeth remembered she had felt the urge to join them, but her mother still hadn't returned and she could feel her father's fear building with each person who wasn't his wife walking through that door. Their bond was close, and she had to be there for him in this agony.

The next family member was Henry, who ran straight to Astrid and held her close, assuring her he was unharmed despite a nasty cut on his temple. Elizabeth had allowed herself to rest a little easier, her big brother was alive.

Emma was last behind every soldier, maid and footman that had picked up a sword. Elizabeth had never seen her father move so quickly. He nearly knocked his wife over with his enthusiastic embrace and kiss, which she responded to in kind.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth was right behind him and hugged her mother who held her girl to her as if she never wanted to let go.

That's when it caught Killian's attention that Emma's eyes were red, as so were Snow's.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. He saw the look in her eye and he knew what question to ask, "Who?"

His wife looked back to her parents who nodded slowly and she turned back to her husband, taking her daughter a little closer to her. She looked exhausted and spent from two days of constant battle.

"Roland," she said quietly, her voice breaking, "he didn't make it."

Elizabeth knew exactly why Rumple had forced her to watch this memory. After the loss of Roland, Robyn blamed herself and ran away. Regina was beside herself and the new king of Camelot, Mordred, had seen it as weakness and attacked. It was the beginning of a strenuous war that brought death and, in many ways, reality, into her life. It was the first time she had lost a member of her family, and the first time she had feared for her mother and father's lives. Undoubtedly they had gotten into other scraps before, even during her own lifetime, but none had been before her own eyes. This moment had been the loss of her innocence.

Tears filled her eyes as she watched her younger self grip her mother as she sobbed. She had obviously never seen her father's reaction. It broke her heart to watch Killian touch foreheads with Emma, tears running down both of their faces as he whispered, "Do not blame yourself, there's nothing you could have done."

As older Elizabeth's first tear dropped, suddenly her eyes opened and she was back in the castle. Rumple and Zelena stood over her once more and she stood up quickly.

Real tears were in her eyes as she tried to keep her voice steady, "Why would you show me that?"

"Show you what?" Zelena asked cruelly, "What did you see?"

Elizabeth held the witch's gaze for a moment as she thought of a response, "When you paid us a visit, and killed your own daughter's brother."

Zelena's eyes widened a bit at her words, enough for Elizabeth to notice. She had not been expecting that.

Rumple, rather, seemed curious, "Fascinating as that is, do you have anything you want to tell me? Or do I need to play another…unpleasant memory?"

Elizabeth walked up to him, so close their noses were practically touching, "Bring it on Crocodile. You will never break me, because while I may feel every loss, I will wake up remembering how good always prevailed."

He growled, "We shall see, dearie."

 _Storybrooke years ago_

Over the blaring siren and the flashing lights, all Killian could think about was the possible dangers he could be bringing his wife towards as they raced to the hospital. They had gotten a 911, the Dark One was back at Belle's room.

The tires screeched as he slammed into the curb, "Sorry," he muttered to his companions as he turned off the car and quickly jumped out. All three sheriffs rushed towards the doors.

Since being the Dark One, Killian was being able to sense the presence of powerful magic. He felt it whenever he was near Emma, the warmth from her light magic was a comforting force. Whenever he was near the Crocodile it was as if fear and despair hung in the air.

He certainly felt that despair as they burst into the hospital. There was no need to announce a police presence, everyone knew the three sheriffs at this point, instead they were all wordlessly (and unnecessarily) pointing them towards Belle's room.

When they did reach the room, the scene was not what Killian had been expecting. The usual soft beeping had been replaced by a singular loud tone. The screens above Belle's head that had bouncy lines were now straight.

Rumplestilskin was there, and he was sobbing profusely. A glint on the ground caught Killian's eye and his heart leapt when he recognized those cursed shears.

He turned to say something to Emma, but his voice stopped in his throat when he noticed her and Charming's faces. Emma's eyes were full of tears and Charming had put his arm around her shoulders.

"Emma?" Killian said quietly, looking up at the scene in front of them, "Emma, what's going on?"

"He used them…" Emma said slowly, "he used them and it didn't work."

Killian looked back at the bent figure of Rumple, body convulsing over Belle, still confused, "But what happened?"

"She didn't make it…" Emma said, obviously in shock, "she's gone."

 **Thank you so much for reading! This is by far one of my longer chapters, I hope you enjoyed! DM or write a review to let me know how I'm doing!**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Disclaimer: OUAT is owned by Adam and Eddy, not me._**

 _Camelot – Present Day_

Emma stared for a moment at Gideon. The boy had certainly grown up since the last she saw him. He definitely had stayed fit, but he was always a skinny kid. You could certainly see the Rumple in him, his eyes had the same beadiness and his nose was pointed. But as he stood next to Henry, she could see some family resemblance between the two. They had the same build and their facial structure was similar. But Henry had Emma's hazel eyes and to her he took most after David than his own father. Something about the kindness and honest determination that always seemed to shine through his expression.

"Emma," Gideon walked to her and awkwardly stood, looking as if he wanted to embrace her. His eyes held concern, "what do we know?"

"You already know what's going on," Killian growled, "Henry told you. Your father has kidnapped my daughter."

Gideon turned as patiently as possible towards Killian.

"Correct, Your Highness, but I was referring to what the Crown Princess had heard from Elizabeth herself." He said evenly and as formally as possible. Gideon knew what Killian thought of him, and since he left his family to go discover himself, he had discovered why. But he kept that to himself for now, he wanted to keep the old pirate calm…considering how badly Elizabeth's father had gone off on him the last they saw one another.

Emma gave Killian's arm a reassuring, and warning, squeeze, "She said that he's keeping her in a tower, in the Dark Castle. Do you have the ability to go there?"

He could feel all eyes on him, suspicion from all, even Henry, "I have been able to reach the castle in the past. I don't see why that will have changed. I will go and speak with my father."

"And what will you say?" Killian asked.

Gideon turned to him again, keeping as patient as possible, "I will beg him to release her," he said quietly, "I will give him whatever he wishes in return that I can give."

"Like what?" Henry spoke up, "What could you offer him that he would want? He hasn't made any demands of us."

Gideon looked his kin in the eye, "He's lonely, he has tried reaching out before but I resisted. I don't wish to be sucked into his world as my mother was."

The mention of Belle tugged at Emma's heart, she remembered her friend's kind face… and how much she had loved her family. "Your mother was a strong woman," she said quietly, "she would be proud of you standing up to your father for others." She looked at Killian and the memory of his face as he mouthed "I'm sorry" as Rumplestilskin began to crush his heart, only for Belle to save the day, flashed before her eyes. Killian and Belle had a tortured history, and yet she had been there to save him. And now, hopefully, her child would be there to save his.

Gideon gave her a small smile, still very muted in his expression, "It's the right thing to do."

Killian scoffed, and all eyes went to him. Emma's shot daggers, she knew he was riled up and was fearful what he would about to say could endanger the hope she had been building up.

Patience growing thin, Gideon asked, "You disagree, Killian?"

Again Killian shook his head, "Just this façade that you're presenting… as if you're doing this for some greater good. It's so like him."

"Killian…" Emma warned.

"No, no Emma..." Gideon said, "let him get it out." He walked up to Killian so they were face to face. He was unarmed, but Killian privately wondered if he was armed with the same magic that the original adult Gideon had used to send Hook away from Emma all those years ago. Gideon's face was smug as he asked, "If you're so sure I have any intentions other than being of service to your family, what could they possibly be?"

Killian did not back down, moving even closer, "Oh you're doing it for her alright. And yourself. I remember quite clearly your feelings for my daughter. You're going in to save the day, so what?...so that she might see you as the hero that you always wanted to be? Or was that why your father took her in the first place?"

He had gone too far. In a flash, a burst of magic erupted from Gideon's hands throwing Killian a couple feet onto his back.

Cursing, Killian jumped straight up, drawing his cutlass and bounding forward to engage.

"Enough!" Emma cried, releasing her own magic to constrain her husband. Henry, in turn, did so for Gideon.

Emma walked in between the two men, still glaring at each other in their stationary state. "Are you forgetting what's at stake here?" she demanded to her captive audience. "We don't know what Rumplestilskin is planning for Elizabeth. We don't know if he is planning on keeping her alive much longer. There is too much unknown and far too much at stake."

She turned to address Hook specially, "Fighting with our one chance to get someone into the castle to advocate for her is not the way to get our baby home."

And then she turned to Gideon and continued with the same passionate tone, "And you, when you wish to address someone in this matter, you will address me. You could stand to have some compassion and realize that he is baiting you because our daughter is in the hands of someone who has tried to kill us all on multiple occasions. Someone who is the reason I grew up without a family because he was selfishly trying to reunite his own. This man happens to be your father and now we depend on you to see if you can get her back to us. I know you have great feelings for my daughter, but she is sixteen years old and her hand will not be a part of any of these negotiations, do I make myself clear?"

As he could not move nothing but his lips, all she heard was a dull emotionless, "Yes."

She turned to her son and nodded, and simultaneously the men were released from their magical holds. Emma took Killian's hand and led him to the side. She saw in his eyes he was still angry, but they both knew it wasn't with her or even really with Gideon. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, trying to convey what her words were failing to. When they broke the kiss, all they could do is stand holding each other, with their foreheads touching for support.

"I'm sorry…" Killian started, "I…I just…"

"I know," Emma murmured, looking up at the moon, "you have nothing to be sorry for. I miss her too."

 _A few days later…_

Elizabeth was starting to be able to see the differences between when she was under the spell and out of it. When she was sent to her memories, the world seemed more focused on what she had been looking at, and she had little freedom to walk away from the unpleasant recollections.

He had taken her back now to so many memories, some that weren't even her own. She saw the day that Regina gave her mother a poisoned apple turnover, only for Henry to nearly perish to prove to their mother that magic was real. That one had messed her up for days, as she went over in her head trying to reconcile that evil creature with the woman who had taught her how to ride a horse.

Most of the memories, though, were her own. The day when she was ten when someone had attacked her and her father on the street. The man claimed that Captain Hook had killed his father. They had gone to town without any security, trying to stay anonymous, but it had been a mistake. She was forced to watch every bloody second including her father being wounded with a gash to the chest, the policemen coming to end it, and the heart wrenching carriage ride holding down her father's wound as they rushed to the castle. Then there was the storm when she was fourteen when Mr. Smee went overboard the Jolly and was never seen again. And of course, the most popular was replaying the short battle between her grandfather and Rumple where every single time she was forced to see that sword go through her beloved Gramps.

But this evening was new. And it didn't take her long to figure out this memory once again was not her own. She was standing in a clearing by the lake. Black hooded figures stood in a semi-circle, facing a single figure cloaked also in black. Her heart panged as she heard a familiar voice say, "NO…you are not taking the people I love."

Emma. It was her mother. But her voice sounded as harsh as she was dressed. She ran up the hill to get a closer look and saw that her mother's blonde hair was fixed in a severe bun. Elizabeth could feel the darkness radiating off Emma... what the hell was going on? A woman stood in front of Emma next to a dark haired man… no. It couldn't be. Her father looked disheveled and tortured as he watched Emma suddenly be magically choked by the woman to his right.

What was this? This had to be a lie. The woman next to Killian said something about not being able to kill Emma, but stop her from interfering with their plans. Whose plans, Elizabeth wondered, although a creeping suspicion told her it was exactly what she didn't want to hear. She watched her father as he watched the woman he loved be choked out, until suddenly he heard him tell the strange woman to stop.

In a blur she watched him use magic and a sword to make all the figures disappear.

Then it got worse. She got a better look at the sword vibrating in her father's hands. It looked so much like the dagger. But the names… "Emma Swan" and "Killian Jones".

Her heart stopped. Her parents were the Dark Ones?

They were arguing about something, some way to destroy the darkness. Her mother was crying, she could hardly stand the torture of seeing Emma looking so broken. Her father looked as if he was battling so much within him, trying to stay strong as he kept the dark magic entrapped in the glowing blade.

"You have to let me go, let me die a hero, as the man I want you to remember…please," he begged her.

Before she realized what was happening, they had shared a kiss and words of love, he had passed Emma the sword and nodded.

"It's ok."

Elizabeth screamed as she watched her mother plunge the sword into her father. She collapsed as she heard him give out a cry of pain that was perhaps the most terrifying and heartbreaking sound she'd ever heard. Her mother suddenly glowed with magic, and she was no longer dressed in all black but wearing a red leather jacket and her hair was down. She watched as Emma pulled out the sword, which disintegrated, and took him in her arms as he began to collapse. But he was pointing somewhere.

Elizabeth looked back and for the first time noticed they were not alone. Her grandparents were there, holding each other as they took in the terrible scene. Henry, her brother didn't look any older than fourteen, had witnessed the whole thing and was being held by Regina and a man that Elizabeth didn't recognize. That's when she noticed the man next to Regina, a small thin man with long hair, beady eyes.

"You."

She suddenly was pulled from the memory and was back in her cell.

Looking up, he was there, smiling at her.

"Now, what do we think of the heroes now?"

Tears were streaming down her face, her mother's sobbing still echoing in her ears as she tried to begin to process what she had just witnessed.

"They never told you, did they?" he whispered. "They never told you how they achieved their immortality?"

Elizabeth shook her head, "How is that possible? How could they both..."

"They were weak," he taunted, "they gave in to what was easy, and they both paid for it."

"How is he still here?" Elizabeth asked aloud, ignoring him, "How… how do I exist? I watched..."

"This will all end once you tell me what you told your mother," Rumple said, "And I can promise you, I have so many more skeletons from their past that I can bring to the surface."

Elizabeth looked up at him, "He sacrificed himself for her…and everyone else. I am proud to be their child. And you will never take that from me."

The imp smiled evily, "We shall see."

Once he left, she determined more than likely this would be another night without food. She was growing weak, and the stress of each memory was beginning to wear.

All she could see was the look on her parents' faces. How even just after the sword had ripped through his body, she saw her father try to comfort his Swan as he began to die.

Her body soon became racked with sobs. She looked up at the moon through her tears and though she knew they couldn't hear her she whispered, "I miss you. I will never stop fighting."

 **Thank you so much for reading! I apologize for the delay in posting the new chapter, I've been super busy. But I hope you enjoyed and thought the wait was worth it. Let me know what you think, I always appreciate reviews!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 _Enchanted Forest – Rumplestilskin's Castle_

Elizabeth was becoming delirious. It had been three days since Rumple had shown her the truth about the Dark One. Dark _Ones_ she kept correcting. The lack of food and water was beginning to do its work on the young girl. She was weak, and she began to wonder if he really meant for her to die. But, she wondered, why would he? She wasn't stupid, she had heard him mention how she was the key to his revenge, he had healed her when Zelena tossed her against the window. Why?

She laid on the stone floor, as uncomfortable as ever. Her chain had grown shorter and shorter with each day. Bloody stinking magic, she thought. It was still long enough where she would have been able to stand, but at this point that was not an option. And she could no longer reach the straw pallet in the corner. So on the cold stone she lay alone with just her thoughts.

When she heard the door open, at first she didn't feel bothered to look up. But her mind's curiosity and hope that her jailor had brought her something to relieve the suffering was too great. Surprise jolted through her when she recognized a face she hadn't seen in years, and she questioned whether her mind was playing tricks. Three days without water and she had already thought she had seen her mother's golden hair in a flash of sunlight. More than once she had felt a cool breeze that passed through the window wash over her face and her heart lifted thinking it was her father's gentle touch.

But why would she see him? This would be certainly a new level of hallucination, he looked so real. His face was contorted in disgust in a way she'd never seen. It didn't occur to her in this state that she would look quite different than last they saw each other. If he was even there.

Then she heard him speak. It was muffled through her confusion, until he came closer. Gingerly he knelt beside her and took her into his arms in an embrace she returned as much as she could.

He held her up in his arms and she studied his face, wondering if this was really happening. "Gid?" she asked, surprised momentarily by her own crackly voice. It sounded as if she hadn't spoken in years, not just three days. She coughed, trying to clear her throat. But that only produced a coughing fit that racked her body.

"Here," he said urgently, pulling a flask from his side and giving it to her. She took it and without question downed the entire thing. Elizabeth could not remember anything tasting quite as wonderful as that water. She swiped her dry lips with her tongue, and finally felt her head clearing a little. This was real, her old friend was really there.

"What are you doing here, Gid?" she asked bluntly. It had come out before she could stop herself. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful to see a friendly face, but Gideon would not have been her first guess for a daring rescue. He was always so calculated growing up, never taking action until every avenue was considered.

For a second he seemed taken aback by her direct questioning, but his face quickly returned to that of pity as he replied, "Henry," he explained quietly, "he told me what happened. He thought I would be the only one my father would allow in the castle."

A now familiar pang sounded through her heart at the mention of her brother, "You talked to Henry? Is he alright? Did you see him?"

He nodded, smiling, "Yes, he came and found me in Camelot, he and your father."

"Camelot?" her blood ran cold. The neighboring nation and it's king, Mordred, were among her family's greatest enemies. While the active war was over, small raids were constantly being conducted, by both sides, over the borders shared with the First and Second Kingdoms of Misthaven. "What were you doing there?"

Gideon looked down for a second, "I was exploring. Everyone in Misthaven knows me as the son of the Dark One, the son of evil. But in Camelot, I was just Gideon, son of none. It was relieving."

She considered this with an empathetic smile, Gideon had spent so much of his childhood being weighed down by his father's legacy. Now that she knew even more of her father's history with the Dark One, especially Rumple himself, it didn't surprise her that Killian had never seemed to like Gideon much.

"Wait, did you say you saw my father too?"

He nodded, "He came with Henry, don't worry, Mordred didn't know," he reassured her, stroking her hair, "They disguised themselves well."

She could see him holding back when talking about her father, "Was my father cross with you again?" she asked gently.

Gideon looked her in the eye, "He misses you, deeply," he replied diplomatically, "I would act the same if I was in his position."

So yes, she thought. Then she remembered he was here, in this room and that meant… "What did your father say?" she asked, joy finally piercing through her tired eyes.

He couldn't look her in the eye, "Not much," he said, "he wants me to join his cause, whatever that means. I don't know if he will let me take you home yet. I haven't broached the subject, he doesn't know I'm up here with you."

"So, why are you here?" She didn't mean to make it accusatory, but her frustration and anticipation was building. Was she going home?

Again he seemed hurt by her blunt speak, but this time the pain didn't seem to leave his eyes, "I wanted to see you…" his voice trailed off for a moment until he whispered, "I am trying to get you home. But my father is being…difficult."

"Difficult?" The infamous Jones temper mixed with the Charming capacity for tact was alive and well in spite of her condition, and it fueled her with previously undiscovered energy as she declared "He killed my grandfather in front of me. He stole me from the gardens of the palace. He's starved me close to death. He's made me watch…" she faltered as all those memories she had been forced to relive, those of her own past and those of her parents, again flashed before her.

He stared hard into her face, "I'm so sorry he's put you through this. I swear to you, I will get you home. One way or another."

She stared right back, searching his face as she tried to decide to trust him. All throughout their childhood, Gideon had been a friend. But her experience was making her weary and distrusting. "Why don't you just use your magic and get me out?" she asked harshly. Her conscience annoyingly reminded her from the back of her mind it probably was not a great idea to act so abrasive towards someone trying to get her out, but she couldn't help it.

"You know my father would catch us before we got through the gates of the castle," Gideon said patiently, "I won't be strong enough to protect you from him."

"My mother would protect us," she insisted.

"Just as she protected you last month?"

He knew the moment he said it that it had been the wrong thing to say, she could tell. But it had already left his lips, and he couldn't take it back. Wordlessly he reached and grabbed the pallet and pulled it over, then picked her up easily and gently laid her down upon it.

"I will get you out of this," he promised in a whisper, "and when this is all over you won't be bothered again."

He turned his back and opened the door, only stopping when she croaked out one more question from the cot.

"Why?"

Gideon looked back at the thing he loved most and said, "Because I promised you I would stand by your side for anything."

He didn't stay to see how she would react to his declaration and closed the door behind him. He was going to have a little chat with his father.

 _Storybrooke – years ago_

It was a lovely service.

Belle's funeral had been the largest Emma had ever attended. And unfortunately she had certainly had plenty of experience with Storybrooke funerals. The librarian/hero had been most beloved and it seemed the entire town filled the Abbey and later the cemetery past capacity.

Not a single person had heard Gold speak since that day. He did not utter a single word in that hospital room when the sheriffs burst in and realized what he had done. Unwittingly he had sealed the fate of his own true love. Whatever magic that had been binding Belle to this Earth was cut by those shears, which had been returned to Regina to be destroyed. Emma likely would never forget the sounds she did hear in that room. The straight tone of the flat line telling all that Belle's beautiful heart no longer was beating, and Rumple's pitiful sobs.

At the funeral, she and Killian leaned heavily on one another. Hook's history with Belle had been tumultuous, and she knew his multiple attempts to kill the brunette before he changed for the better weighed heavily on his soul. He told her the night before, over half a bottle of her best rum about the time he had broken into Regina's castle to "save" Belle, only to turn around and attempt to murder her. The look on her face haunted him, and all Emma could do was hold him in her arms as he gave in to grief. Belle had been a kind confidante when he struggled with Emma's darkness and had saved his life when his heart literally was being crushed by her villainous husband.

Together, the pair walked with Charming and Snow to the farmhouse. Regina had Henry that evening and had promised to meet up with them after dinner.

After dismissing the babysitter, Gretel, and thanking her for watching Neal, Emma turned to say something to Killian only to emit a loud "OH!"

Rumplestilskin, in full Dark One mode with glittering face and all, was standing in her mother's living room.

"Emma?!" Killian's worried voice came from the kitchen.

A look on the Dark One's face told Emma her husband should not walk into the room.

"Nothing, don't worry, I stepped on a Lego again," she called out.

She could hear the pirate give a relieved laugh, "Well those colorful building materials are lethal, be careful over there love!" And then she could hear him walking back to the family room where Snow and David were watching tv.

Emma turned back to Rumple, asking him not unkindly, "What are you doing here? You should be spending this time with…"

"Family?" he cut in.

"Your son," she replied patiently, "your living breathing son. Who needs you now more than ever."

He looked down in shame, "I don't deserve my son, not until I can give him what he truly needs."

"And that is?"

He looked at her determinedly, "His mother."

Emma shook her head sympathetically, "She's gone, Gold. Belle's not coming back"

"You weren't so sure about that when you ran your beloved pirate through with the sword," he replied coldly.

She had no words, he was right. But she knew one thing for sure, "Belle wouldn't be there, Gold. She'll be…on…the same place as Neal."

His eyes flickered at the mention of his son, but his frustration kept growing, "So you won't help me, after all I did for you?"

Her own patience was waning, "All you did for me? Tell me anything that you have done that wasn't explicitly in your own best interest. You never gave a damn about me or my family unless it played a part in your sick games. Belle was the only person who…" She stopped and took a deep breath as she thought of her friend. When she opened her eyes, she continued slower and much kinder, "I know you're angry, Rumple. I know you're hurting. We miss her too. Let us help you, we can't bring her back but we can be your family."

Pure pain reflected in his eyes as he replied, "You will regret this."

And with a poof, he was gone.

 **Oh my word guys things have been so busy but I've been so inspired lately so I had to write a chapter. Hopefully I can get another one out a lot sooner. What do you all think? What's Gideon's play here? Will he convince his father to free Elizabeth? So many things happening! As always, reviews are so greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 _The Enchanted Forest – Charming Castle_

It felt as if Killian had failed. He had vowed he would not return home without his Little Swan. But after what Emma had gone through, seeing Elizabeth in the mirror and talking with her, seeing her get caught, he was not going to leave her side again. They agreed Henry would bring his family to the castle and await news from Gideon together. So they had parted in Camelot so Henry could fetch Astrid and Lucy and close the Hall for now.

Upon Hook and Emma's arrival, his first order of business was to check in on David. Emma had told him about Ruth's power, how his best friend had really survived, but he wanted to see it for himself.

As he walked into the great hall he heard David's familiar voice joyfully exclaim, "Killian!"

Killian watched carefully as his old friend walked towards him, arms open wide. David looked tired still but seemed to no longer be worse for the wear, and he allowed some of his stress to be released as he accepted the king's embrace.

Although it may not have been masculine, Killian held on an extra moment as he thanked the gods for the gift of the breath in David's lungs.

Charming seemed to sense Killian's misgivings and as they pulled away into a handshake, he said gently, "I'm alright now, Hook, don't worry. I'm not the one we need to be worrying about."

Elizabeth. He meant Elizabeth. And once more Killian's mind was on edge.

"Killian?" David asked, seeing his friend retreat into his own mind.

Hook shook his head as if he was trying to shake away his own fears, "I'm fine…it's fine I'm…" He couldn't find the words to lie to his father in law or to himself. He wasn't fine, far from it actually. For the past sixteen years he had devoted his life to his miracle, his Little Swan. After all that had happened, especially during Emma's pregnancy, he cherished every second he was able to spend with his beautiful daughter. Elizabeth was a gifted sailor but she preferred star gazing and navigation to the physical task of manning the ropes. She loved racing horses and the thrill of a tournament, when she was allowed to participate. Her talents with the sword outranked any she had with the bow and arrow, but as their own little secret he'd also taught her how to use a pistol. And her aim even with his Enchanted Forest pistol was unmatched. He couldn't imagine her lethality should she be allowed a chance with Emma's 9 mm that she had been able to bring back from Storybrooke. But Emma would kill him if he would ever let their daughter get a hold of that, probably with that gun.

Again he had gone into his own mind and all the king could do was pat him on the shoulder comfortingly, "We will see her again, Hook. This plan will work."

The plan. For Gideon to go to his father and negotiate Elizabeth's release. To do whatever it takes.

"I don't trust him, David." He replied honestly. It was a truth he did not need to share with Emma or Henry, but one he needed to vocalize. He had put the greatest hope for his daughter's return in the hands of someone with whom he held little faith.

"I know." David's answer wasn't patronizing, nor was it judgmental. They shared a look, knowing each remembered that night in the middle of Main Street when David had held Killian back so Emma could accept her destiny. It had taken a long time for Hook to forgive Dave for that particular move, even though his wife had survived. Killian cared little about destinies or fate, he cared that all he saw for years when he tried to close his eyes to sleep was Emma's face as the sword went through her.

He had his reasons not to trust Gideon with either of his girls.

 _About a year before…_

 _Killian was walking through the gardens on the way to train Neal, again. The young prince was a good swordsman to be sure, but he wished to be legendary, like his father King David. Since Killian had "defeated" David in spars, Neal had decided Killian would be the one to help him reach the next level. Neal was a middle child for sure, Snow mused when Killian had told her, he's not the Savior, he's not the heir to the throne, but he still holds the burden of being the product of true love._

 _"_ _It's a great gift, but also a challenge for him to either match or surpass," she confided, "He wants to be the greatest he can, but he can't seem to accept the ordinary can still be great."_

 _That gave Hook a lot to think on, considering Elizabeth's position. She was also the product of True Love. But she was an heir, once he and Emma chose to depart this world._

 _As he was thinking, he thought he heard his daughter's voice coming low from just below the hedge. Then he heard another familiar voice that made his blood run cold. Gideon. The boy was visiting for a few weeks in the summer as he always was welcomed to by Snow and Emma, much to Killian and in a lesser part David's chagrin._

 _"_ _I just… I don't know what this means."_

 _"_ _You have magic, Gid, it's not that big a deal. My mom has magic, I'm sure there are others besides her, Auntie Regina, and your father. It's doesn't mean yours is…"_

 _"_ _How do you know, Liz?" Killian heard the terror in Gideon's voice, "Explain the dreams!"_

 _Killian was now full on eavesdropping, leaning against the hedge as his daughter's conciliatory voice carried to his ears._

 _"_ _Ok explain this to me again, you're in the middle of a strange street…"_

 _"_ _And this woman comes up, we get in a duel, with swords, and then I….I"_

 _"_ _You kill her…"_

 _Hook's heart dropped to his stomach. All this time he had been told that Gideon would have no memory of who he once was. No memory of the boy who was kidnapped and raised by the Black Fairy, raised to be a killer, and yet he had just heard those words. Gideon was dreaming about the worst night in Killian's memory. The night he killed Emma._

 _"_ _And you didn't know who it was?"_

 _Did Killian imagine the moment of hesitation before the reply?_

 _"_ _No, I didn't recognize her."_

 _"_ _Well…" Elizabeth's voice was very casual for what they were talking about, Killian thought, but why shouldn't it be? She wasn't there for that painful part of their family history. And to be fair, neither Killian nor Emma had told their daughter about it either. She thought she was helping her friend talk through a bad dream._

 _"_ _I don't think there's anything to worry about, Gid," she said warmly, "Dreams can just be weird and creepy. Remember those reoccurring dreams I used to have about the dark shadow coming for me only to be saved by a flower?"_

 _They both laughed, but Killian only became further disturbed. He remembered Elizabeth having those dreams, and they hit far too close to reality for his liking._

 _But the recollection of Elizabeth's dream of being saved from evil by a heroic flora seemed to ease Gideon's worries, at least outwardly, "Yeah," he said quietly, "that's so true, I mean it's not like dreams could be prophetic..."_

 _Killian's blood was boiling. Did that boy know about Emma? Was he beginning to remember? And if he could remember his previous life, what was to stop him from starting the same rampage yet again? Hook could not allow for that to happen again. He had to protect his family._

 _He stepped around the hedge and down the steps and hesitated at the sight before him. His fifteen year old daughter giving a kind embrace to a boy. So many emotions swirled in his mind, far more than a typical father finding his daughter in such a compromising position._

 _He cleared his throat and took some amusement as they jumped apart at being caught._

 _"_ _Daddy!" Elizabeth's eyes lit up as they always did when she saw him, something Killian hoped would never die out because he knew he would never grow tired of seeing it, "I heard you're going to train Neal, could Gideon and I join in?"_

 _Killian forced a smile for his daughter's benefit, "Sorry to disappoint, Little Swan, but Neal seems determined to even outshine your grandfather at the next round of tournaments and asked specifically for a personal lesson." He softened a bit when he saw the disappointment she was trying to hide, "How's about tomorrow you and I steal your grandmother away for a bit and work on our archery tomorrow? I already know you're a much better swordsman than I could teach." He ended with a wink._

 _Again his heart lifted at her smile, "Wonderful!" but then she turned to the boy, "Gid, you won't believe this technique that my grandma has…"_

 _But as she started describing Snow's technique for quickly grabbing arrows from her quiver, Hook couldn't help but notice Gideon looking up at him only to see a disapproving look on the prince's face. Gideon had heard how Killian had worded the question, and no invitation had been extended."_

 _"_ _That sounds really fascinating," Gideon said quietly when she was done, "You'll have to tell me all about it when you finish."_

 _"_ _But…" Elizabeth looked back and forth between her father and Gideon, "I thought…"_

 _"_ _The invitation was for you alone," Gideon couldn't look either in the eye in embarrassment at the slight._

 _Instantly Hook recognized the flair of indignance in his daughter he'd seen a million times from her mother, "Why can't he join?"_

 _He searched for his words carefully. Emma had made a promise to Belle at her grave, and made him a promise thereafter, that they would not punish the child for the sins of the adult. But the child had been the adult, and that had been his wife's only request that he'd found difficult to keep. And of course Gideon had grown into the same looks as the first time he'd seen the face from behind the black hood of Emma's nightmares. Every summer when they had invited the boy to visit the castle, he endured the internal struggle to keep his prejudices behind closed doors, usually to no one but his own mind._

 _Then again, he couldn't help himself, "Wouldn't Gideon prefer to learn to better control his magic than a bow?"_

 _Once more the looks of surprise satisfied him, but Elizabeth was the one who first spoke, looking taken aback, "You were listening in on our conversations?"_

 _"_ _You were talking about it in the middle of the gardens, you could hardly be upset. I could hear as I was walking past, Elizabeth," he retorted. "He told you he has magic and that he's dreaming of killing someone, for all you know it could be a member of the family…"_

 _He definitely did not imagine Gideon flinch at this, and he knew he was right._

 _Gideon still couldn't meet Killian's eye, "Sir, I would never…"_

 _"_ _You and I both know of your pedigree, Gideon, forgive me if I'm not more cautious around someone with that background around my family," Hook spat, "Particularly my only daughter whom you seem to have taken a bit more interest in than I am comfortable."_

 _He regretted it the moment it left his lips. The tears sprouted in Gideon's eyes and he mumbled his leave to Elizabeth, gave a jerk of a bow to Killian and fled the clearing._

"Killian?"

Again Hook was shaken from his thought's by David's kind voice.

"Did you hear me?" the king asked quietly.

He shook his head, "What were you saying?"

"I said that Nemo expressed a desire to see you upon your return if you were up for it?"

Killian nodded, seeing his old friend would hopefully distract him from his worries, "Yeah, right. Sure, let's head over."

As they walked towards the Great Hall, his regrets followed. After that confrontation in the gardens, Gideon left the castle immediatley and began his "grand journey" to find himself. It took Elizabeth a week after the incident to look her father in the eye she was so furious. And it didn't help that Emma heard what happened from their tearful daughter. But under his apologies all Killian could think of was the flash of fear in Gideon's eyes when he mentioned he could have killed a family member of his. Hook knew that the boy knew more than he was letting on.

But now Gideon was in a place of power over Killian's beloved child. He seriously doubted the boy forgot about his unkind words, he could only hope he wouldn't hold it against Elizabeth when the time came to negotiate for her life.

 _The Dark Castle_

Gideon walked quietly down to the spinning room from Elizabeth's prison. It was a huge space meant for dining and entertaining, as one with such a large castle would be expected to do. That is, unless that person was the Dark One.

As he figured, his father was busy at the wheel, with piles of golden straw laying carelessly at his feet that were large enough to feed entire villages for at least a year.

"What did you tell her?" the conniving voice of his father spoke up although the Dark One had not broken his concentration.

"Of what?" Gideon asked.

"Your plan," his father finally looked up, suspicion on his face, "Does she think you're here to negotiate her return to her family?"

"She believes her father and brother sent me here to get her back, that is the truth," Gideon lightly argued, "None of them suspect what else I could be here for."

"I doubt that," Rumple mused, "Surely the pirate wasn't thrilled."

Gideon ground his teeth, "Killian never trusted me, I doubt he does now. But it doesn't matter, because everyone else does. Elizabeth included." After the last interaction with Elizabeth, he could tell that wasn't one hundred percent true, but his father didn't need to know that.

The Crocodile giggled, "Do you think she'll comply?"

Gideon shrugged, "I'm not sure, but either way she won't have much choice, just like the rest of them."

Rumplestilskin laughed, "It's good to have you back, son"

 **Ooooooh what is Gideon up to? Leave reviews or PM if you want to know where this is going. Or follow the story :) Trust me this isn't ending any time soon. Also I may already have sequels in mind...**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 _The Hall of the Book_

When Henry walked through his door, he could feel some of the weight in his heart lift at the sight of Lucy's face as she ran to give him a hug.

"Papa!" she cried, "You're home!"

He took his baby into his arms and held on with everything he had, "I missed you, sweetheart." That could not have been more true, Killian's agony at the unknown Elizabeth faced was enough to make him want to hold on to his own little girl and never let her go.

Lucy smiled in her father's embrace, "I missed you too. Did you find Auntie Liz?"

He looked down at her beautiful face, her big brown eyes filled with so much hope, and a small bit of the weight returned on his soul.

"No," he said quietly, but upon seeing disappointment set in on her face he quickly continued, "but we know where she is, and we found someone who will help us bring her back."

Relief spread through him as her smile returned and he asked, "Where's your mother?"

"In the main library," she said enthusiastically, starting to pull him towards the room in question, "she started reading the books after you and Grandad left… she said she wanted to find something to help you."

Henry smiled, that was so like Astrid. His wife was not the kind to just sit idly by and wait for him, she was a woman of action. When they met, she had been the youngest lieutenant in the Arendelle army, and was a close personal friend to its queen, Elsa.

He allowed his daughter to pull him into the center dome. It was a magnificent room, with storybooks lining every inch of the walls. Scanning the room he quickly found Astrid on a ladder, replacing a book. Her black hair that usually was kept in a tight military bun was simply pulled back, but he could see the determination in her eyes even at a distance.

"Mama, look!" Lucy called.

Astrid glanced up at her daughter's voice and a look of surprise crossed her face when she saw her husband.

"Henry?" and the surprise turned to joy as she jumped off the ladder, landing gracefully, and began running to him.

He took her to him and held on as he had done with their daughter, but this time when he pulled back he kissed her. It was a desperate kiss, Henry needed to feel the true love that ran between them. Astrid was more than just his wife, she was his best friend. He needed her so much through all of this, and he could tell in her eyes she understood.

When they broke their kiss (Lucy looking away, nose crinkling in disgust), Astrid took Henry's face in her hands and looked him over.

Shaking her head she exclaimed, "You look so tired _ästling_ , it looks like you've been running yourself ragged."

Despite himself, he smiled, "You know me, I couldn't sleep without the lullaby of your snoring."

"Ow," he cried as she playfully smacked him on the arm, playing indignant and then kissed him again.

Again she looked him in the eye, hand stroking his stubble, "Did you find him?" she asked quietly.

He nodded, "He said he knew how to get in, and that he would do what he could to pull her out."

A benefit of true love is that one can tell when the other is holding back.

"But?" she whispered, so Lucy couldn't hear.

He looked down at his young daughter and pulled her to him, Lucy reflexively holding his side. The look in his eyes told Astrid that this would be a conversation they would continue alone.

"So Lucy," Henry said, changing the subject, "how would you like to go hang out with your grandparents for a while?"

Lucy's eyes lit up, while Astrid's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

"Really?" the little girl asked excitedly, then suddenly looked a little confused, "which ones?"

Henry laughed, she honestly had quite a few, "All of them," he said, "first we will go to Gigi Regina's and then together to Charming Castle. But you have to go pack now, we leave first light tomorrow."

Lucy's eyes widened, "OK!" And without a word further she bolted off towards her room with the enthusiasm only found in the excitement of childhood.

He smiled as he watched her run off, but that smile disappeared when he saw Astrid's pointed look.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you more a heads up…" he started.

She didn't seem angry, and for that he was grateful, but she seemed nervous.

"Why are we really going to your grandparents'?" she asked carefully.

He tried avoiding eye contact, but she wouldn't have it, "Henry?"

Henry swallowed, "It's for your protection, yours and Lucy's."

"Are we in danger?" she asked.

He took her hand, "I don't know," he said truthfully, getting more upset, "but I'm not going to take that chance. We still haven't found a reason for Rumplestilskin to take Elizabeth. I don't know what he's planning, but he's not getting you. He's not getting Lucy. I won't let him hurt more of my family, I…"

"Henry," Astrid took his face in her hands, stroking the tears that had started to fall with her thumb, "I would die before I let him take Lucy away from us."

Yet another thing he loved about his wife was her infallibility, hearing something like the fact an evil wizard possibly being after her did not take a single inch of resolve from Astrid Mills.

"But that's what I'm afraid of," he whispered, "I can't lose you, I don't know what I would do."

Astrid closed her eyes at this admission, and asked sadly, "If he was able to take Elizabeth from that castle, what makes us safer there than we are here?"  
"There you have my moms for protection," Henry pressed, "Regina will be staying in the Second Kingdom as well…"

"But here we have you," she interrupted. But when she saw the guilt in her husband's eyes, she knew exactly why he was trying to convince her to leave.

"You aren't planning on coming with us, are you?" she asked quietly, trying to reign in the anger threatening to erupt along with terrified tears.

Henry shook his head and took her hands in his, "You don't understand…"

"What don't I understand, Henry?" she begged, "What aren't you telling me? You said you found Gideon, you have an advocate in the castle for her. Why not wait to see if that works? We all know what he feels for her."

Again, Henry stood silent, and she read that silence once more as clearly as the books that surrounded them, "You don't trust him."

He stared at her hard for a few moments, expression tense before nodding.

She was confused, "But why? You were the one who told Killian…"

"I remember, Astrid," he interrupted gently, "but there is something off about Gideon, something I've never felt before. He still loves her, that much is clear. Maybe his magic has grown more than I anticipated, but…something has changed about him."

His wife could see how disturbed he felt, and that made her just as nervous, "What did Killian say?" she asked.

"I couldn't tell him," he said, again not able to look her in the eye, "Gideon left on this journey to find himself because of Killian. He's too prejudiced over the past. What if I'm wrong?"

"To be fair, Gideon did run your mother through right in front of him," she said as a matter of fact. Since Astrid had first heard the story of the boy and his history with Henry's family, she did always seem to side with Killian and his anger. It was understandable, for so long she herself had felt the embroiling need for revenge after her father was killed in front of her.

"I told you, he's not that man anymore. He doesn't even remember those days," Henry argued, "That whole life he lived was erased."

"So we've been told," Astrid murmured, but didn't press the matter further. Instead she asked, "So what is your plan? To take your grandfather on by yourself?"

Henry took a deep breath, "He must have a reason for all of this, and he won't attack the last connection he has to my father. That puts me at an advantage, as long as I can guarantee you and Luce are safe."  
His wife squeezed his hand at the mention of his father. Henry so rarely spoke of Neal, whom he didn't know for very long before the man was so abruptly taken from this world, "But how will you even find the castle?"

She was taken aback by his abrupt smile, "My father helped me out with that one," he said mysteriously.

"I thought his forgetting spell even counted you among them," she said confused, "so even if you knew about it before, you don't remember. Blood magic won't even help you with that…"

He chuckled to himself slightly, "I didn't mean my father's blood. I meant his skills." Henry held up a small parcel that Astrid had never seen before.

"What is that?" she asked, confused.

"A small sewing kit," Henry explained, "Gideon had it on his belt, likely since he was traveling so much he carried it just in case he had to repair some of his clothes."  
"And you took it?" his wife was still perplexed.

He looked down at the tiny leather box, "My father was a thief, the one thing my mother always remembers that he taught her was how to pick a lock. But one skill he taught me was how to swipe something off a person without them noticing…" he became lost in his thoughts for a moment as he remembered this particular lesson with Neal. It had felt wrong to Henry at the time to be learning from his father how to steal, especially considering the fact that his mother was Sheriff, but there was one thing Neal had said during the lesson that had made sense, "You know, there is more than one reason to learn something like this. Every skill can be used for good."

"Henry? I still don't get it, why did you take something of Gideon's?" Astrid's voice broke the spell of the memory.

He looked up, "Because I don't have to remember where the castle is, as long as Gideon is there, now I can find him."

The realization dawned on her, "A locator spell? Do you think something that simple…"

"I think my grandfather has put on all kinds of protections on his castle," Henry said quietly, "but I know the Dark One, and the one trait they always seem to have is arrogance. I'm going to find my sister."

And she knew there was nothing more she could say to try and convince him to stay with her, so she took his hand and said, "And when you do, come back to us."

He stroked her cheek, "Always."

Two Weeks Later…

Henry was frustrated at how long it took to get on the road. Once his mom had (too quickly) discovered his plan to not accompany his family to the Second Kingdom, Regina fought him on it passionately. It took two days of arguments to get her to agree to take Astrid and Lucy to the Charmings and protect them there.

Saying goodbye to his wife and daughter was the hardest thing he had to do. He had lied to Astrid, he didn't believe that his connection to Baelfire was enough to save him if Rumple became angry enough. The interaction in his mother's bedroom the night Elizabeth was taken was enough to convince him that his grandfather didn't think he was close enough to Neal for it to count. Not to mention, most agreed he looked more like a Charming than his father's side. Although, Killian told him in confidence once that he did have some of Milah's looks as well, and some of her looks had certainly come through in Lucy.

He followed the magically floating package for days, only stopping the spell to sleep, of which he did very little. Henry hoped that once his family got to the Second Kingdom that Emma wouldn't be angry at him for going out on his own, and mostly that Killian wouldn't try to find him.

He had been on the road ten days when finally, he reached the steps of a familiar castle. The package hit the front doors and he looked around.

He had made it to the Dark Castle.

Before he could even knock, the door swung open, and a very surprised Gideon emerged.

"Henry?"

He took a deep breath, "Gideon, good to see you!" he was surprised how even a tone he was achieving, despite his anger that here Gideon was answering the door of the castle as if he was there for no other reason than a quick visit. "May I come in?"  
"How did you find this place?" The tone from Gideon wasn't accusatory per se, but it certainly wasn't the most welcoming.

Henry picked up the package that had fallen on the floor, "I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed this."

Gideon examined the small leather box, "You stole this?"

"A little trick I learned from my father," Henry said, "I wanted to help you in your negotiations, and I knew there was no way your father would have allowed you inside if I accompanied you." He looked behind his uncle, "Where is he?"  
"Not sure," Gideon said quietly, "he comes and goes as he pleases."

Something stirred in Henry, "And you didn't think to try to steal Elizabeth away while he was gone?"

Gideon looked up, seeming furious at what Henry was implying, "I'm afraid of what my father will do to her if he should catch her in another escape attempt, especially after the state I found her in after he had caught her talking to Emma."

Henry's worries mounted, "What happened, is she alright?"

"She wasn't being given naught to eat, and it sounds like he was torturing her psychologically," Gideon said sympathetically, "She's…she's in a bad way."

"And are you doing anything to ease this suffering?" this time, Henry's accusation was loud and clear.  
Gideon stepped out, standing toe to toe with his kin, "You know my feelings for your sister, Henry, I would never hurt her. I convinced my father to allow me to bring her meals, but that's all I've been able to do. I can't break the curse on her chains, I don't know what he put on them."

Henry pushed past him, "Well we shall see what I can do…"

Gideon grabbed his arm, but Henry pulled away, "Henry, think of your family, I don't know how my father will react to you being here…" he warned.

"I'll take my chances," Henry growled, "Where is she?"

And following Gideon's instructions, he ran through the castle, sword at hand, ready for Rumple until he reached a winding staircase, just as had been described. He took the stairs carefully all the way up to a single door. Looking through the bars, he saw a thin figure laying on the ground, a chain starting from the center of the room going under the young woman's dress. A cruel memory flashed in his brain from when he found their mom, Emma, laying in a midnight blue ballgown, with chains on her wrists, in Isaac's book.

With a blast of magic, the door opened, and her head whipped up. He regretted the way he entered instantly by the sheer terror on her face.

"Hen….Henry?" she croaked out.

Anger and sadness pulsed through him as he saw how thin she was, but with no words to say he simply knelt and took her thin body in an embrace.

"I knew you'd find me," she said quietly.

"Well you know our family, Liz," he said, "we're never too far behind."

She chuckled, Henry and Lucy were the only ones who called her that.

It warmed his heart to see her smile even a little, "There you are."

Elizabeth's eyes held so much hope, "Are you here to take me home? Is he letting me go?"

"He's not here," Henry said, "for now at least, I'm going to try to get you away as quickly as possible. Can you walk?"

She lifted her skirt to reveal her ankles, the one that had the chain attached was raw and bloody, as if she had tried to pull away so hard that it had broken the skin. "I'm not sure," she admitted.

Henry kept his feelings in check for now, "No matter, once we are outside the castle, I can take us home."

"He's controlling my magic Henry, I don't know how to take off the cuff…" Elizabeth said.

He examined the leather cuff on her wrist, but it seemed to be on tight, "How did you get a hold of Mom?" he asked.

"Zelena," she revealed quietly, "she's working with Rumple. She threw me against the window and her magic must have taken the cuff off a little, I tried calling Mom…" she remembered, "Is Mom ok?"

Henry took her hands, "Everyone is ok, I promise, we just miss you and they want you home."

She swallowed, "Do they still want me home even though it's my fault?"  
His eyebrows furrowed, "What's your fault? Getting kidnapped?"

She hesitated, tears coming to her eyes, "No…Grandpa David. It's my fault he's…he's…."

"Elizabeth," Henry interrupted, "Grandpa is alive."

She looked up to him, shocked, "Alive? But I saw…"

"He was saved just in time," Henry said reassuringly, "but we all miss you so let's get the hell out of here…"

A cackling giggle interrupted, "Well isn't this the happiest of family reunions."

Henry looked behind him and stood between the Dark One and his sister, "Hello Grandpa."

 **So, I've been considering doing a Henry/Astrid sequel/prequel thing with this storyline after I finish INSF and so this is my way of setting up some of the background for that. Also, raise your hand if you agree the OUAT finale was seriously deprived of CS…we got like 5 seconds of "real" Killian with Emma. Kind of disappointing, but at least we got a smidgeon more Snowing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I got a couple of notes about Gideon, just remember that Gideon is a lot like his father. He has a great capacity for love, but sometimes goes about it the very wrong way. He's not all bad, but he certainly is not finished making questionable decisions. As always, I really do appreciate PMs and reviews. Thanks so much for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 _The Dark Castle_

"You shouldn't be in here, Henry," Rumplestilskin's voice was certainly threatening, but without the bite that the younger man remembered.

He didn't bother turning to face his grandfather, "Neither should she," he said pointedly.

Henry heard Rumple scoff, "Let's go downstairs, we have much to discuss. Especially how you happened to find this castle."

"You don't have to go anywhere with him, Henry," Elizabeth said quietly. A surge of pride ran through him at her words. How even through all the torture and poor care his sister had not lost her strength.

He gave Elizabeth a wink and knelt down to hold her close for one last embrace, whispering in her ear.

As he pulled away, Henry searched her face to see if she understood. And the determination in her eyes, which never ceased to remind him of Killian, told him she heard him and understood.

Henry stood up and faced his grandfather for the first time. Rumplestilskin looked the same as he had when the Dark One had shown up in his mother's bedchamber the night Elizabeth had been kidnapped. He was in full Dark One mode, with sparkling crocodile skin and yellow eyes. His clothes were battered and worn.

"After you," Henry said quietly, meeting the amber gaze, and followed the Dark One out of the room, reluctantly closing the door behind him with one last wink to his sister.

The pair walked silently down the spiral stairs until they were in a room familiar to Henry only through drawings. It was exactly as his storybook had shown through the tales of Belle and Rumplestilskin, the beauty and her beast. However, without Belle's tedious care (which Henry decided to himself likely was out of boredom more than anything else), the castle was disheveled at best. The long burgundy curtains were dusty and drawn while the long table held centuries' worth of scratches and damage from the Dark One's rampages. The only item in the room that didn't hold an inch of dust was a spinning wheel in the center, a pile of plain straw on one side and golden string on another.

"I see you're back to your old hobby," Henry commented, pointing at the pile of gold, "That alone could feed an entire village for a few months."

"A small one perhaps," Rumple commented, "but you know what they say about teaching a man to fish…" He pulled out a chair next to the head of the grand table and motioned for his grandson to take a seat, which Henry did, gingerly.

The younger man looked around, "Where's Gideon gone off to, he knew I was here."

"I sent him off on an errand," Rumple said casually, as if they were just having a normal conversation, "I thought you and I could talk one on one.

Henry rolled his eyes, of course Gideon would obey his father's wishes. He was certainly Rumple's son in that regard, always knowing how to keep himself out of harms way or trouble. Despite his misgivings, he finally sat in the offered chair. Rumple slunk into the one next to him, eyes searching.

The Dark One felt different this time, Henry noticed, than before. He had known Mr. Gold his entire life, but his mom (Regina) had warned him against talking to the old pawnshop owner more than necessary. Gold had always seemed diabolical with or without magic. Even on the fateful day when Henry and Emma went to New York, and found out Gold was in fact his grandfather, their relationship never really changed much. There were instances where Rumple had claimed to be acting in Henry's best interest, but all those times seemed to fall short of being truly selfless acts. Gold was never warm, never felt like a grandfather in the way that Charming always had. Gramps was a confidante, a support, and the father figure Henry had never had before.

But this man in front of him had now crossed a line.

Henry could hardly look Rumple in the eye, "You know," he said quietly, "since the day I discovered you were my grandfather, I always strove to forgive you for all the things you had done."

He looked up and saw… something in Rumple's eyes. It wasn't regret, not quite, but perhaps understanding. When his grandfather didn't seem to have a response, he continued.

"My mom kept from me the whole incident with the sorcerer's hat," Henry could feel his voice quavering with anger as he recalled it, "But I heard Hook talking to my grandparents about it in the loft, they thought I was asleep. He told Mary Margaret about how you took his heart and made him suck the fairies in the hat so that you could crush his heart into it. I heard that hardened pirate, who I up to that point had not trusted with my mom, talk about how his heart broke because you had frozen my mom in front of him. All he could think was that Mom was going to have to watch him die, just as he watched his first love die right in front of him the exact same way. But even then, after a time, I forgave you, because I thought you had changed. I looked away after my mom became the Dark One for you. After you made my mother's sacrifice of running through her true love meaningless for the sake of your power. After you took the Dark Fairy's side in the final battle and only turned it around when Gideon's life was in danger. After all of that… I had this faith in my heart that one day you would redeem yourself, that one day a selfless act of love would show itself, and you would eventually make the right choice."

Rumplestilskin's eyes were hard as they stared at Henry, as though he was trying to fortify himself against the truth of the younger man's words.

Finally, the Dark One spoke, "What changed?"

Sudden anger enveloped Henry's face, "The day you threatened our entire family for the sake of your own. Your plan that you put together with Zelena was cruel. And that you were so set on the plan, that you were willing to kill for it."

Rumple rolled his eyes, "As if the puppet was so innocent…"

Henry grew more incensed, "August may not have been perfect, but he was a person. And you killed him. And why? Because you blamed my family for Belle's death? Belle died in an accident, it was no one's fault…"

"They did nothing!" Rumple slammed his fist on the table forcefully, making Henry jump. Everything in the room shook and even just outside he heard the crash of something likely falling off a table.

Rumple stood and walked over to Henry who also stood, using his height to his advantage. But height hardly mattered to the immortal Dark One with hundreds of years of experience in intimidation.

"There were plenty of opportunities for your family to heal Belle," Rumple growled, "and after only one go, they gave up."

Henry shook his head in sympathy, replying softly "There was nothing else they could do, she was brain dead…"

"Oh but the moment the dear savior was just as close to death, they somehow discovered the one thing that would have helped her."

Henry's heart stopped. He stood, shocked, for a moment. "So...that's what this is about?" he whispered.

Rumple stared at him, triumphant, "I have waited for years for that girl's magic to finally mature so that one day, I can go back and restore my happy ending."

His grandson tried to process what he was saying. "You think the Solcura flower… you think that would have prevented Belle from…"

"Its power is to cure any ailment that has brought someone to the brink of certain death," Rumple argued, "I am certain it will bring back Belle. I just have to go back to when the last flower was used and find it before you can take it."

"So that my mother can die?" Henry demanded, "So my sister can…" he stopped and looked up, heartbroken, "You're going to use Elizabeth's power to take you back in time, so that she can die before she is born?"

"The girl's blood is that of two people who have previously gone back in time," Rumple reasoned, "I've spent my time in this solitary studying blood magic. She will be able to use the Godmother wand to replicate the magic, without the mess of using any newborns."

"Does Gideon know this plan?" Henry asked quietly, "Does he know what will happen to Elizabeth?"

Rumple shrugged, "He knows… most of it. He thinks he can convince the girl to follow along with the plan. Although," he feigned concern, "I may have left out the part about preventing the girl's birth, and changing history so she will never exist, in the rundown of the plan. Ah well, details."

He stood triumphant as he thoroughly enjoyed Henry's ire and disbelief.

"You know I can't let you do this, Grandpa," Henry warned.

Rumple laughed, "Oh Henry, what makes you think you could stop me?"

 _Charming Castle_

As terrifying as everything was, as empty as Emma felt knowing both her children were somewhere she could not protect them, Emma had to admit to herself she felt much more at ease now Killian was home.

They spent the day together just walking the grounds, avoiding the rose garden, talking, reminiscing.

Both she and Killian had been furious to learn that Henry had gone on his own to confront his grandfather. But there was nothing they could do, as Killian frustratingly reminded her so frequently.

It had been over a week since Astrid and Lucy had arrived at the castle, and they were becoming restless from the lack of news. Emma spent all her time researching the Dark One and trying to find ways to defeat him, without becoming one again, when she wasn't handling her royal duties. Thankfully, now that her father was cleared by his physicians, her parents had resumed their daily routine as sovereigns, to Emma's great relief.

But having Killian at her side again eased her pain, eased her worries. His crooked smile and expressive facial features made her heart flutter as it reminded her of their daughter. She began to hope, maybe Henry would be successful, maybe there was a way out of this.

Elizabeth was the subject of their conversation as they walked back to their room from one of their regular afternoon strolls.

"Remember when she was a little girl, younger than Lucy, and she decided she wanted to be a mermaid?" Emma laughed at the memory, "It was after she met Ariel at a ball and told you it was the best way to be connected to the sea."

Killian grinned, "Aye, I wanted to tell her all about the beasts mermaids are and you told me to hold my tongue. Quite forcefully if I remember correct." He put his arm around her and gave a quick kiss to the top of her head. It was so comforting, so peaceful.

A scream down the hall woke them both from their pleasant moment.

"Mommy!" a terrified young voice echoed through the hallway, "Somebody help, please!"

The pair looked at each other in shock and concern, recognizing the voice, "Lucy!"

They ran to the quarters that had been designated for Henry's family when they stayed at the castle. It was a cozy three bedroom suite next to the larger apartments occupied by Emma, Killian, and Elizabeth when they were in residence. As they got closer, they saw the door was ajar and took in the scene as they entered the small living room.

Their granddaughter was on her knees in the center of the room next to her mother who was prone on the ground, clutching her chest. Astrid was gasping in pain, but Emma could see she was trying to hold it in to keep from scaring her little girl any more.

"Gramma, Granddad, help!" Lucy cried when she saw them, tears streaming down her little face.

The couple immediately sprung into action. Killian grabbed Lucy as quick as he could and held on tight as she sobbed. He cradled her head as he held her close, whispering in her ear "Look away darling, it's going to be alright, don't look."

Emma went straight to Astrid's side and asked, "What happened, what can I do?"

Astrid took a deep breath, grimacing, and tried up, "It's nothing," she sounded like she was still fighting the pain. But she kept glancing where Killian was standing, holding her daughter. She turned to look Emma in the eye, "It's not me."

Both got her meaning immediately, and Emma's heart sunk with the realization of what Astrid meant. It was her heart, a heart connected to the pain of her true love. Henry was in trouble.

In a second, she could feel old habits taking over. Without a word, Emma ran.

"Emma!" She could hear Killian calling for her as she fled, but she knew with Lucy in his arms he could not follow.

Her mind was racing as quick as her heart. She didn't know where her legs were taking her until she reached her destination. A beautiful and, as of the last few weeks, untouched room. A grand four poster bed graced the center of the room, covers still well made. The room was littered with clothes on the floor, was she not constantly telling her to clean up after herself? A hairbrush and selection of ribbons still lay at the vanity as if their owner had just picked them up. Tears silently crawling down her face, Emma delicately sat near the head and grabbed the toy cat that, despite her age, Elizabeth kept on her bed at all times.

She had been kidding herself the past few weeks, acting like she was so strong. But now she feared that strength was gone. Both her children were now in danger. Emma herself knew the pain that comes with a true love connection, both she and Killian had each experienced it a few times. Her parents had it worst because they shared a heart.

For what felt like hours passed Emma sat there, staring at the stuffed cat. Marie is what two year old Elizabeth named it. It was no longer soft and adorable as it was the day Henry brought it for his little sister from an expedition abroad, but now worn and rather ugly looking. But it meant so much to her little girl, comforting her through her many bouts of nightmares throughout her childhood and attending many adventures at her side.

"Emma?" Killian's voice was soft, as if he didn't want to frighten her.

She didn't look up, "I can't believe my sixteen year old still sleeps with this thing…" she stopped, looking up at her husband and he saw her eyes were red and full of tears.

"How," she whimpered. "how is she supposed to get through her nightmares without this stupid stuffed cat?"

As she let her body give into the sobs, Killian took her into his arms and held on.

"Both of them," she whispered, "he has both of my babies."

"Henry can take care of himself, love," he murmured in her ear, "he's been in worse scrapes than this."

"Enough for Astrid's heart to react?" Emma countered. "Do you remember what's caused that for you?"

He did. Both times. And both times had resulted in him grasping with the reality that he could very well lose her. They were equally the worst days of his life. Charming told him once that he had felt it when Snow had bitten the apple that put her under the original sleeping curse.

Killian sighed, "What does your mother always say?"

Emma closed her eyes, refusing, but he persisted, "What does your mother say in these times when all you can think is what is going wrong."

She took a deep breath, "We have to have hope."

He lightly caressed her face, leaning his forehead to hers so that they supported each other.

"You nearly died in my arms, and took her with you," he whispered, "your father survived being run through. We've both been Dark Ones and are here, breathing. Good always wins."

She took a deep breath, taking in his familiar scent of leather and rum. He hardly drank anymore, but the smell of spices had never left seemed to leave him.

"I just wish there was a way we could…" she suddenly stopped as her mind raced. What she had meant to say was she wished there was a way to find them and it was as if someone had unlocked her memory. An arduous journey she had taken so many years before flooded back to her.

"Emma?" Killian stared, sounding worried, "Say something."

To his surprise, she broke out in a smile, "I remember…"

He raised his eyebrow in that very Killian fashion, "Remember…?"

Despite everything, she found herself almost laughing, "Do you remember when we went back in time, and went through that debacle with my parents? Where was the first place we went for help?"

She watched carefully as he rolled his eyes, "We went to the Crocodile's nest to…" then he stopped as well and her smile returned.

"The castle…" he said slowly, "I…"

"Me too," she said, "somehow his cloaking spell must have been disrupted."

"But that means…" Killian said.

"Yeah," Emma said taking him in a passionate kiss. She could feel the true love between them fueling the new found hope that had now taken residence in her soul. The Savior could feel her light magic beginning to hum beneath her skin.

He was right, good always wins. She triumphantly declared, "Let's go get them back!"

 **Yes! They remember the path to the Dark Castle! But why? And what will happen when they reach the Crocodile's lair?**

 **Thank you again for reading! DMs and reviews are much appreciated!**


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